^^^m 


i^F*^ 


ml^wW9W^ 


^^^"^-C^-A  f*^^     r^c:^-  c^di0^^t^ 


\ 


i 


/fii^lf  ec-tJf g^£c^i 


^^<^1 


:^'''^  -i-V'n   V     w  *^  *  '^'^^^^^  •      '^ 


s 


_  0"--^^X' 


k\     '^< 


\'''  ^<' 


STAR  IN  THE  WEST 


A  HUMBLE  ATTEMPT  TO  DISCOVER 

THE  LONG  LOST 

TEN  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL, 

PRRPARATOBY  TO  THEIR  RETURN  TO  THEIR  BBIOVED  CITY, 

BY  EUAS  BOUDINOT,  L  L.  D. 


Who  is  wise,  and  he  shall  undesrstand  these  things  ?  Prudent,  and  he  shall 
know  them  ?  For  all  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  right,  and  the  just  shall  walk  in 
them ;  but  the  transgressors  shall  fall  therein. — Hosea. 

And  the  Lord  answered  me  and  said,  write  the  vision,  -and  make  it  plain, 
upon  a  (writing)  table,  that  he  may  run  who  readeth  it:  for  the  vision  is  yet  for 
an  appointed  time,  but  at  the  end  it  shall  speak  and  not  lie ;  though  it  tarry,  wait 
for  it,  because  it  will  surely  come.    It  will  not  tarry. — Habbak. 


TRENTON,  N.  J. 

PUBLISHED  BY  D.  PENTON,  S.  HUTCHINSON,  AND 
J.  DUNHAM. 

George  Sherman,  Printer. 

1816. 


District  of  Mw-Jersey,  ss, 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  January,  in  the 
fortieth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
Daniel  Fenton,  Sylvester  Hutchinson,  and  Johnson  Dunham,  of  the  said 
District,  have  deposited  in  this  Office  the  Title  of  a  Book,  the  right 
whereof  they  claim  as  proprietors,  in  the  words  following",  to  wit : 

"A  Star  in  the  West:  nr,  a  humble,  attempt  to  discover  the  long 
lost  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  preparatory  to  their  return  to  their  belov- 
ed city,  J  erusalem.     By  Ehas  Boudinot,  L  L.  D." 

In  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  enti- 
tled "  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies 
of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies 
during  the  times  therein  mentioned."  And  also,  to  the  act  entitled  *'  An 
act  supplementary  to  the  act  entitled  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of 
learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  au- 
thors and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  (Juring  the  times  thereip  mention- 
ed, and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engrav- 
ing and  etching  historical  and  other  prints." 

ROBERT  BOGGS, 
Cl^rk  of  the  District  of  New-Jersey. 


dcmrL 


CONTENTS. 


Page, 

Prepace,            ...  -  -  1 

Introduction,               -            -  -  -  23 

CHAPTER  I. 

Of  the  state  of  the  Jews,            -  -  -  33 

CHAPTER  IL 

An  enquiry  into  the  qupstion,  on  what  part  of  the 
globe  is  it  most  likely,  that  these  descendants  of 
Israel  may  be  now  found,  arising  from  late  discov- 
eries and  facts,  that  have  not  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  civilized  world,  till  of  late  years,  81 

CHAPTER  III. 

An  enquiry  into  the  language  of  the  American  In- 
dians, S9 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indian  traditions  as  received  by  their  nations,    109 

CHAPTER  V. 

Their  general  character  and  established  customs  and 
habits,  125 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  known  religious  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Indians,  187 


1^,  CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Their  public  worship  and  religious  opinions,  205 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

Or  miscellaneous  facts  omitted,  229 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  testimony  of  those  who  had  an  opportunity  of 
judging,  from  the  appearance  and  conduct  of  the 
Indians  at  the  first  discovery  of  America,  as  well 
as  of  some  who  have  seen  them  since,  in  a  state 
of  nature,  245 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Indians  have  a  system  of  morality  among  them 
that  is  very  striking. — They  have  teachers  to  in- 
struct them  in  it — of  which  they  have  thought 
very  highly,  till  of  late  years,  they  begin  to  doubt 
its  efficacy,  259 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Separation  of  the  Indian  women,  277 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  conclusion,  279 

Appendix,      -----        303 


THE   PREFACE. 


i\.  VERY  bright  and  portentous  Star  liaving  arisen  in  the 
East,  making  glad  the  hearts  of  God's  people  and  urging  the 
friends  of  Zion  to  unusual  and  almost  miraculous  exertions  iu 
spreading  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  among  the  distant  na- 
tions of  the  earth ;  the  compiler  of  tlie  following  sheets,  ani- 
mated by  this  blessed  eastern  prospect,  can  no  longer  with- 
hold the  small  discovery  that  has  been  made  of  a  rising  Star 
in  the  West,  from  the  knowledge  of  those  who  are  zealous 
and  anxious  to  behold  the  returning  Messiah  coming  "  in  Ids 
own  glory  and  the  glory  of  the  Father,"  attended  by  all  the 
saints ;  which  star  may  in  the  issue,  turn  out  to  be  the  star  of 
Jacob,  and  become  a  guide  to  the  long  suffering  and  despised 
descendants  of  that  eminent  patriarch,  to  find  the  once  hum- 
ble babe  of  Bethlehem ;  as  the  w  ise  men  of  the  east  were  of 
old  directed  in  their  distant  course,  to  discover  in  the  stable 
and  the  manger,  the  great  object  of  their  adoration,  joy  and 
hope,  even  him  who  ^^was  horn  king  of  the  Jews.^* 

For  more  than  two  centuries,  have  the  aborigines  of  Ameri- 
ca engaged  the  avarice  and  contempt  of  those  who  are  com- 
monly called  the  enlightened  nations  of  the  old  world.  These 
natives  of  tliis  wilderness  have  been  always  considered  by 
them  as  savages  and  barbarians,  and  therefore  have  given 


them  little  concern,  further  than  to  defraud  them  of  their 
lands,  drive  them  from  the  fertile  countries  on  the  sea  shores, 
engage  them  in  their  wars,  and  indeed  destroy  them  hy  thou- 
sands with  ardent  spirits  and  fatal  disorders  unknown  to  them 
before.  But  these  enlightened  nations  have  seldom  troubled 
themselves  to  enquire  into  their  origin,  their  real  circum- 
stances or  their  future  hopes.  Great  pains  have  been  taken 
by  traders  and  others  to  promote  among  them  every  Europe- 
an vice,  which  has  been  enforced  both  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample. 

Some  exertions  indeed,  have  been  made  of  late  years  by 
private  societies  and  individuals,  to  counteract  these  unchris- 
tian practices,  by  endeavouring  to  teach  them  the  things  that 
belong  to  their  everlasting  peace ;  but  this  was  not  attempted 
till  they  were  disgusted  and  soured  with  the  general  charac^ 
ter  and  conduct  of  white  men,  by  whicli  they  concluded,  that 
no  one  bearing  their  name  or  appearance,  could  be  actuated 
by  any  other  principles,  than  those  of  misleading,  deceiving 
and  betraying  them,  for  the  sake  of  their  lands  and  peltry. 

Wherever  honest  and  upright  intentions  have  prevailed  to 
convince  their  judgments  and  engage  tlieir  confidence,  though 
these  Iiave,  comparatively,  been  few  and  feeble,  they  have 
generally  succeeded,  notwithstanding  the  opjwsition  they  often 
met  with  from  those,  wlio  from  tlie  worst  motives,  have  thought 
themselves  greatly  benefited  by  their  ignorance,  humiliation 
and  misery,  and  who  feared  that  by  their  reformation,  these 
opposers  might  be  despoiled  of  their  unjust  gain. 

Blessed  be  God,  that  there  is  yet  liopc  that  the  day  of  tlieir 
visitation  is  near— that  the  day-star  from  on  liigh,  begins  to 
?ippear;  giving  joyful  hopes  that  the  sun  of  righteousness  wilt 


niET^ACE.  Ill 

soon  arise  upon  them,  with  healing  under  his  wings. — Tliere 
is  a  possihility,  that  these  unhappy  children  of  misfortune, 
may  yet  he  proved  to  he  the  descendants  of  Jacoh  and  the 
long'  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  And  if  so,  that  though  cast  off  for 
their  heinous  transgressions,  they  have  not  been  altogether 
forsaken ;  and  will  hereafter  appear  to  have  be^n,  in  all  their 
dispersions  and  wanderings,  the  subjects  of  God's  divine  pro- 
tection and  gracious  care. 

The  following  pages  are  an  humble  attempt  to  investigate 
t^is  important  subject,  which  has  been  the  object  of  the  wri- 
ter's attention  for  a  long  time.  If  he  has  cast  but  a  mite  into 
the  common  treasury,  he  hopes  it  will  not  be  despised.  If  it 
shall  lead  abler  hands  and  wiser  heads  to  engage  as  labourers 
in  the  master's  vineyard,  though  it  should  be  at  the  eleventh 
hour,  he  will  rejoice,  so  that  God  alone  may  at  last  receive 
all  the  glory,— ^He  claims  no  merit  in  this  labour,  but  that  of 
integrity,  attention  and  industry,  in  searching  after  the  truth, 
and  preserving  the  facts  which  have  come  to  his  knowledge, 
that  others  may  have  all  the  aid  he  can  afford  them  in  tlie 
further  pursuit  of  this  interesting  investigation. 

Yet  though  he  is  not  entitled  to  any  credit,  but  as  a  regis- 
ter of  facts,  yet  he  has  been  mucli  gratified  since  the  comple- 
tion of  this  work,  to  find  that  he  is  not  alone  in  his  sentiments 
on  this  unpopular  subject. 

The  following  publication  taken  out  of  the  Analectic  Maga- 
zine for  February  last,  is  written  so  much  in  the  style  and 
on  the  same  principles  of  the  following  compilation,  that  the 
writer  of  it  could  not  withstand  the  advantage  tliat  might  be 
derived  from  inserting  a  copy  of  the  publication  in  this  littte 


iV  PllE^ACE. 

tract.* — He  was  rejoiced  to  know  tliat  such  despised  sufferers, 
however  degraded,  had  found  compassion  in  other  hreasts  be- 
sides his  own.  Had  these  unfortunate  out-casts  from  society, 
been  favoured  fro«n  the  first  discovery  of  their  country  by 
Europeans,  witli  inquisitive,  learned  and  disinterested  his- 
torians, who  would  have  represented  them  and  their  cause 
fully  and  fairly  to  posterity,  they  would  have  been  considered 
in  a  very  different  point  of  light,  from  that  in  which  they  now 
appear.  That  some  of  theii*  established  customs  and  especial- 
ly their  manner  of  carrying  on  war,  must  appear  exceedingly 
barbarous,  and  even  brutal  at  the  present  day,  to  civilized 
people,  the  writer  cannot  doubt,  yet  if  compared  with  the 
conduct  of  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa, 
in  t^n  thousand  instances,  the  balance  would  be  greatly  in 
tlieir  favour.f  Indeed  it  is  an  extraordinary  fact,  that  in  all 
tlie  wars  in  this  country  between  the  English  and  French — 
Spaniards  and  Americans,  every  one  in  their  turn,  have  uni- 
formly exerted  every  nerve  to  engage  the  Indians  to  take 
part  with  them,  and  to  light  in  their  own  way,  on  their  side. 
And  those  who  make  the  greatest  cry  against  their  barbari- 

*  This  is  done  by  express  permission  of  the  editor  of  that  work,  who  very  po- 
litely consented  thereto. 

+  Plutarch  in  his  Morals,  1  vol.  96,  says  that  the  Lacedemonians  murdered  their 
cliildren  who  were  deformed  or  had  a  bad  constitution. 

The  Romans  were  allowed  by  Romulus  to  destroy  all  their  female  children,  ex- 
cept the  eldest.  Human  sacrifices  were  oftered  up  in  almost  all  the  eastern  coun- 
tries. 

Children  were  burnt  alive  by  their  own  parents,  and  offered  to  Baal,  Moloch, 
and  other  pretended  deities.  Mr.  Hume  says  in  his  Essay  on  Political  Science; 
**  the  most  ilhistrious  period  of  the  Roman  history  considered,  in  a  political  view, 
is  that  between  the  beginning  of  the  firstand  the  end  of  the  lastpunic  war;  yet  at 
this  very  time,  the  horrid  practice  of  poisoning  was  so  common,  tliat  during  part  of 
n  season,  a  prsetor  punished  capitally,  for  this  crime,  above  three  thousand  persons  in 
a  piiri  of  (enlighteaed)  Italy,  and  found  informations  of  this  nature  still  multiplying. 


PREFACE.  V 

iy  and  inhumanity  in  carrying  on  war,  are  the  most  forward 
to  furnish  them  with  tomahawks,  scalping  knives,  muskets, 
powder  and  ball,  to  increase  their  detestable  mode  of  warfare. 
Nay,  they  have  employed  every  mean  in  their  power,  by  rum, 
feasts,  harangues,  and  every  provocative,  to  rouse  their  un- 
bridled passions,  increase  their  thii^t  for  blood,  and  forc&- 
tliem  on  to  the  destruction  of  their  fellow  men.  They  have 
forgotten  the  conclusive  adage,  "  qui  fadt  per  aliuin  facit  per 
se."^  Must  not  such  people  be  answerable  to  the  great  judge 
of  all  the  earth  for  this  conducti 

I  shall  not  further  detain  the  reader,  but  give  him  tlie  pub- 
lication in  the  writer's  own  words. 

TRAITS    OF   INDIAN   CHARACTER. 

<*  In  the  present  times,  when  popular  feeling  is  gi^adually  be- 
coming hardened  by  war,  and  selfisli  by  the  frequent  jeopar- 
dy of  life  or  property,  it  is  certainly  an  inauspicious  moment 
to  speak  in  behalf  of  a  race  of  beings,  whose  very  existence 
has  been  pronounced  detrimental  to  public  security.  But  it 
is  good  at  all  times  to  raise  the  voice  of  truth,  however  feeble;: 
to  endeavor  if  possible  to  mitigate  the  fury  of  passion  and 
prejudice,  and  to  turn  aside  the  bloody  luind  of  violence.  Lit- 
tle interest,  however,  can  probably  be  awakened  at  present, 
in  favor  of  the  misguided  tribes  of  Indians  that  have  been 
drawn  into  the  present  war.  The  rights  of  the  savage  have 
seldom  been  deeply  appreciated  by  the  wliite  man — in  peace 
he  is  the  dupe  of  mercenary  rapacity ;  in  war  he  is  regarded 
as  a  ferocious  animal,  whose  death  is  a  question  of  mere  pre- 
caution and  convenience.    Man  is  cruelly  wasteful  of  life  when 

♦  He  wlvo  daes  a  thing  by  another,  does  it  by  himself. 


his  own  safety  is  endangered  and  he  is  slieltered  by  impunity 
— and  little  mercy  is  to  be  expected  from  him  who  feels  the 
sting  of  the  reptile,  and  is  conscious  of  the  power  to  desti'oy. 

*^  It  has  been  the  lot  of  the  unfortunate  aborigines  of  this 
country,  to  be  doubly  wronged  by  the  white  men — first,  driven 
from  their  native  soil  by  the  sword  of  the  invader,  and  then 
darkly  slandered  by  the  pen  of  the  historian.  The  former  has 
treated  them  like  beasts  of  the  forest;  the  latter  has  written 
volumes  to  justify  him  in  his  outrages.  The  former  found  it 
easier  to  exterminate  than  to  civilize;  the  latter  to  abuse 
than  to  discriminate.  The  hideous  appellations  of  savage  and 
pagan,  were  sufficient  to  sanction  the  deadly  hostilities  of  both ; 
and  the  poor  wanderers  of  the  forest  were  persecuted  and 
dishonored,  not  because  they  were  guilty,  but  because  they 
were  ignorant. 

<'  The  same  prejudices  seem  to  exist,  in  common  circula- 
tion, at  the  present  day.  We  form  our  opinions  of  the  Indian 
character  from  tlie  miserable  hordes  that  infest  our  fi-ontiers. 
These,  however,  are  degenerate  beings,  enfeebled  by  the  vices 
of  society,  without  being  benefited  by  its  arts  of  living.  The 
independence  of  thought  and  action,  that  formed  tlie  main  pil- 
lar of  their  character,  has  been  completely  prostrated,  and  the 
whole  moral  fabric  lies  in  ruins.  Their  spirits  are  debased 
by  conscious  inferiority,  and  their  native  courage  completely 
daunted  by  the  superior  knowledge  and  power  of  their  en- 
lightened neighbours.  Society  has  advanced  upon  them  like 
a  many-headed  monster,  breathing  every  variety  of  misery. 
Before  it,  v.ent  forth  pestilence,  famine  and  the  sword;  and  in 
its  train  came  tlie  slow,  but  exterminating  curse  of  trade. 
AN'hat  the  former  did  not  sweep  away,  tlie  latter  has  gradually 


blighted.  It  Las  increased  their  wants,  without  increasing 
the  means  of  gratification.  It  lias  enervated  their  strength, 
multiplied  their  diseases,  blasted  the  powers  of  their  minds, 
and  superinduced  on  their  original  barbarity  the  low  vices  of 
civilization.  Poverty,  repining  and  hopeless  poverty — a  cank- 
er of  the  mind  unknown  to  sylvan  life — corrodes  their  very 
hearts. — They  loiter  like  vagrants  through  the  settlements, 
among  spacious  habitations  replete  with  artificial  comforts, 
which  only  render  them  sensible  of  the  comparative  wretch- 
edness of  their  own  condition.  Luxury  spreads  its  ample 
board  before  their  eyes,  but  they  are  expelled  from  tlie  ban- 
quet. The  forest  which  once  furnished  tliem  with  ample 
means  of  subsistence  has  been  levelled' to  the  ground — ^waving 
fields  of  gmin  have  sprung  up  in  its  place ;  but  they  have  no 
participation  in  the  harvest;  plenty  revels  around  them,  but 
they  are  starving  amidst  its  stores;  the  whole  wilderness 
blossoms  like  a  garden,  but  they  feel  like  the  reptiles  that  in- 
fest it. 

*«  How  different  was  their  case  while  yet  the  undisputed 
lords  of  the  soil.  Their  wants  were  few,  and  the  means  of 
gratifying  them  within  their  reach.  They  saw  every  one 
around  them  sharing  the  same  lot,  enduring  the  same  hard- 
ships, living  in  the  same  cabins,  feeding  on  the  same  aliments, 
arrayed  in  the  same  rude  garments.  No  roof  then  rose,  but 
what  was  open  to  the  houseless  stranger;  no  smoke  curled 
among  the  trees,  but  he  was  welcome  to  sit  down  by  its  fire, 
and  join  the  hunter  in  his  repast.  "  For,"  says  an  old  his- 
torian of  New-England,  "  their  life  is  so  void  of  care,  and 
they  are  so  loving  also,  that  they  make  use  of  those  things  they 
enjoy  as  common  goods,  and  are  therein  so  compassionate  that 


villi  PREFACE. 

rather  than  one  should  starve  through  want,  tlicy  would  starve 
all :  thus  do  they  pass  their  time  merrily,  not  regarding  our 
pomp,  but  are  better  content  with  their  own,  wliich  some  men 
esteem  so  meanly  of."  Such  were  the  Indians  while  in  the 
pride  and  energy  of  primitive  simplicity :  they  resemble  tiiose 
wild  plants  that  thrive  best  in  the  shades  of  the  forest,  but 
whidi  shrink  from  the  hand  of  cultivation,  and  perish  beneath 
the  influence  of  the  sun. 

<*  In  the  general  mode  of  estimating  the  savage  character, 
we  may  perceive  a  vast  degree  of  vulgar  prejudice,  and  pas- 
sionate exaggeration,  without  any  of  the  temperate  discussion 
of  true  philosophy.  No  allowance  is  made  for  the  difference 
of  circumstances,  and  the  operations  of  principles  under  which 
they  have  been  educated.  Virtue  and  vice,  though  radically 
the  same,  yet  differ  widely  in  their  influence  on  human  con- 
duct, according  to  the  habits  and  maxims  of  the  society  in 
wlticli  the  individual  is  reared.  No  being  acts  more  rigidly 
from  rule  than  the  Indian.  His  whole  conduct  is  regulated 
according  to  some  general  maxims  early  implanted  in  his  mind. 
The  moral  laws  that  govern  him,  to  be  sure,  are  but  few,  but 
then  he  conforms  to  them  all.  The  white  man  abounds  in 
laws  of  religion,  morals,  and  manners;  but  how  many  does  he 
violate  ? 

<^  A  common  cause  of  accusation  against  the  Indians  is,  the 
faithlessness  of  their  friendsliips,  and  their  sudden  provoca- 
tions to  hostility.  But  we  do  not  make  allowance  for  their 
peculiar  modes  of  thinking  and  feeling,  and  the  principles  by 
which  they  are  governed.  Besides,  the  friendship  of  the 
whites  towards  the  poor  Indians,  was  ever  cold,  distrustful, 
oppressive,  and  insulting.    In  the  intercourse  with  our  fron- 


tiers  they  are  seldom  treated  ^vitIl  confidence,  and  are  fre- 
quently subject  to  injury  and  encroachment.  Tlic  solitary 
savage  feels  silently  but  acutely;  his  sensibilities  are  not  dif- 
fused over  so  wide  a  surface  as  those  of  the  white  man,  but 
they  rim  in  steadier  and  deeper  channels.  His  pride,  his  af- 
fections, his  superstitions,  ai*e  all  directed  towards  fewer  ob- 
jects, but  the  wounds  inflicted  on  them  are  proportionably  se- 
vere, and  fmnish  motives  of  hostility  wliicli  we  cannot  suf- 
ficiently appreciate.  Where  a  community  is  also  limited  in 
number,  and  forms,  as  in  an  Indian  tribe,  one  great  patri- 
archal family,  the  injury  of  the  individual  is  tlse  injury  of  the 
whole;  and  as  their  body  politic  is  small,  the  sentiment  of 
vengeance  is  almost  instantaneously  diffused.  One  council 
fire  is  sufficient  to  decide  the  measure.  Eloquence  and  su- 
perstition combine  to  inflame  their  minds.  The  orator  awak- 
ens all  tlicir  martial  ardour,  and  they  are  wrouglit  up  to  a 
kind  of  religious  desperation,  by  the  visions  of  the  prophet  and 
the  dreamer. 

"  An  instance  of  one  of  these  sudden  exasperations,  arising 
from  a  motive  peculiar  to  the  Indian  cliaractcr,  is  extant  in 
an  old  record  of  the  early  settlement  of  Massachusetts.  Tlie 
planters  of  Plymouth  had  defaced  the  monuments  of  the  dead 
at  Passonagcssit,  and  had  plundered  the  gi*ave  of  the  sachem's 
mother  of  some  skins  with  which  it  had  been  piously  decorated. 
Every  one  knows  tlie  hallowed  reverence  wiiicli  the  Indians 
entertain  for  the  sepulchres  of  their  kindred.  Even  now, 
tribes  that  have  passed  generations,  exiled  from  the  abodes  of 
their  ancestors,  when  by  chance  tliey  have  been  travelling,  on 
some  mission,  to  our  seat  of  government,  have  been  known  to 

turn  aside  fix)m  tlie  highway  for  manv  miles  distance,  and 
C 


guided  by  wonderful  accurate  tradition,  have  souglit  some 
tumulus,  buried  perhaps  in  woods,  where  the  bones  of  their 
tnbe  wei'B  anciently  deposited;  and  there  liave  passed  some 
time  in  silent  lamentation  over  the  ashes  of  their  forefathers. 
Influenced  by  this  sublime  and  holy  feeling,  the  sachem,  whose 
mother's  tomb  had  been  violated,  in  the  moment  of  indignation, 
gathered  his  men  togetlier,  and  addressed  them  in  the  follow- 
ing beautifully  simple  and  pathetic  harangue — an  harangue 
wliich  has  remained  unquoted  for  nearly  two  hundred  years — 
a  pui'e  specimen  of  Indian  eloquence,  and  an  affecting  moim^ 
mcnt  of  filial  piety  in  a  savage. 

''  When  last  the  glorious  light  of  all  the  sky  was  nnderneath 
this  globe,  and  birds  grew^  silent,  I  began  to  settle,  as  my 
custom  is,  to  take  repose.  Before  mine  eyes  were  fast  closed^ 
niethought  I  saw  a  vision,  at  which  my  spirit  was  much 
troubled,  and,  trembling  at  that  doleful  sight,  a  spirit  cried 
aloud — ^behold  my  son,  whom  I  have  clierished  ;  see  the  breasts 
that  gave  thee  suck,  the  hands  that  lapped  thee  warm  and  fed 
thee  oft !  canst  thou  forget  to  take  revenge  of  those  wild  peo- 
ple, who  have  defaced  my  monument  in  a  despiteful  manner, 
disdaining  our  antiquities  and  honorable  customs.  See  now, 
the  sachem's  grave  lies  like  the  common  people,  defaced  by 
an  ignoble  race.  Thy  motlier  doth  complain,  and  implores 
thy  aid  against  this  thievish  people,  who  have  newly  intruded 
in  OBF  land.  If  this  be  suffered  I  shall  not  rest  quiet  in  my 
everlasting  habitation. — This  said,  the  spirit  vanished,  and  l^ 
all  in  a  sweat,  not  able  scarce  to  speak,  began  to  get  some 
strength  and  recollect  my  spirits  that  were  fled,  and  deter- 
mined to  demand  your  counsel,  and  solicit  vour  assistance/^ 


••Another  cause  of  violent  outcry  against  the  Indians,  is  their 
inhumanity  to  the  vanquished.  This  originally  arose  partly 
from  political  and  partly  from  superstitious  motives.  W  here 
hostile  tribes  are  scanty  in  their  numbers,  the  death  of  several 
warriors  completely  paralyzes  their  power ;  and  many  an  in- 
stance occurs  in  Indian  history,  where  a  hostile  tribe,  that  had 
long  been  formidable  to  its  neighbour,  has  heen  broken  up  and 
driven  away,  by  the  capture  and  massacre  of  its  principal 
fighting  men.  This  is  a  strong  temptation  to  the  victor  to  be 
merciless,  not  so  much  to  gratify  any  cruelty  of  revenge,  as 
to  provide  for  future  security.  But  they  had  other  motives, 
originating  in  a  superstitious  idea,  common  to  barbarous  na- 
tions, and  even  prevvilent  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans — 
that  the  manes  of  their  deceased  friends,  slain  in  battle,  were 
soothed  by  the  blood  of  the  captives.  But  those  that  are  not 
thus  sacrificed  are  adopted  into  their  families,  and  treated 
with  the  confidence  and  affection  of  relatives  and  friends ;  nay, 
so  hospitable  and  tender  is  their  entertainment,  that  they  will 
often  prefer  to  remain  witli  their  adopted  brethren,  rather 
than  return  to  the  home  and  the  fiiends  of  their  youth. 

<<  The  inhumanity  of  tlie  Indians  towards  their  prisoners  has 
been  heiglitcned  since  the  intrusion  of  tlie  whites.  We  have 
exasperated  what  was  formeily  a  compliance  with  policy  and 
superstition  into  a  gratification  of  vengeance.  Tliey  cannot 
but  be  sensible  that  we  are  the  usurpers  of  their  ancient  do- 
minion, the  cause  of  their  degradation,  and  the  gradual  de- 
stroyers of  their  race.  They  go  forth  to  battle,  smarting  with 
injuries  and  indignities  which  tliey  have  individually  suffered 
from  the  injustice  and  the  arrogance  of  white  men,  and  they 
are  driven  to  madness  and  despair,  by  the  wide-spreading 


desolation  and  the  o\'erwliclming'  ruin  of  our  warfare.  We 
set  them  an  example  of  violence,  by  burning  their  villages  and 
laying  waste  their  slender  means  of  subsistence;  and  then 
wonder  that  savages  will  not  show  moderation  and  magna- 
nimity towards  men,  w  ho  have  leit  them  notliing  but  mere  ex- 
istence and  wretchedness. 

<*It  is  a  common  thing  to  exclaim  against  new  forms  of 
cruelty,  while,  reconciled  by  custom,  we  wink  at  long  estab- 
lished atrocities.  What  right  does  the  generosity  of  our  con- 
duct give  us  to  rail  exclusively  at  Indian  warfare.  With  all 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  the  advantages  of  cultivated 
morals,  to  govern  and  direct  us,  what  horrid  crimes  disgrace 
the  victories  of  christian  armies.  Towns  laid  in  ashes  5  cities 
given  up  to  the  sword ;  enormities  perpetrated,  at  which  man- 
hood blushes,  and  history  drops  the  pen.  Well  may  we  ex- 
claim at  the  outrages  of  the  scalping  knife ;  but  where,  in  the 
records  of  Indian  barbarity,  can  we  point  to  a  violated  female  ? 

"  We  stigmatize  the  Indians  also  as  cowardly  and  treach- 
erous, because  they  use  stratagem  in  warfare,  in  preference 
to  open  force ;  but  in  this  tiscy  are  fully  authorized  by  their 
rude  code  of  honor.  They  are  early  taught  that  stratagem  is 
praiseworthy;  the  bravest  warrior  thiidvs  it  no  disgrace  to 
lurk  in  silence  and  take  every  advantage  of  his  foe.  He  tri- 
umphs in  the  superior  craft  and  sagacity  by  which  he  has  been 
enabled  to  surprise  and  massacre  an  enemy.  Indeed,  man  is 
naturally  more  prone  to  siibtlet}'  tlian  open  valor,  owing  to  his 
physical  weakness  in  comparison  with  other  animals.  They 
are  endowed  with  natural  weapons  of  defence;  with  horns, 
with  tusks,  with  hoofs  and  talons;  but  man  has  to  depend  on 
bis  superior  sagacity.     In  all  his  encounters,  therefore,  with 


PREFACE.  Xm 

tlicse,  his  proper  enemies,  lie  has  to  resort  to  stratagem ;  and 
when  he  perversely  turns  his  hostility  against  liis  fellow  man, 
he  continues  the  same  subtle  mode  of  warfare. 

'<  The  natural  principle  of  war  is  to  do  the  most  harm  to 
our  enemy,  with  the  least  harm  to  ourselves^  and  this  of 
course  is  to  be  effected  by  cunning.  That  chivalric  kind  of 
courage  which  teaches  us  to  despise  the  suggestions  of  pru- 
dence, and  to  rush  in  the  face  of  certain  danger,  is  the  off- 
spring of  society,  and  produced  by  education.  It  is  honorable, 
because  in  fact  it  is  the  triumph  of  lofty  sentiment  over  an  in- 
stinctive repugnance  to  pain,  and  over  those  selfish  yearn- 
ings after  personal  ease  and  security  which  society  has  con- 
demned as  ignoble.  It  is  an  emotion  kept  up  by  pride,  and 
the  fear  of  shame;  and  thus  the  dread  of  real  evils  is  over- 
come by  the  superior  dread  of  an  evil  that  exists  but  in  the 
mind.  This  may  be  instanced  in  the  case  of  a  young  British 
oflicer  of  great  pride,  but  delicate  nerves,  who  was  going  for 
the  first  time  into  battle.  Being  agitated  by  the  novelty  and 
awful  peril  of  the  scene,  he  was  accosted  by  another  officer  of 
a  rough  and  boisterous  cliaracter — "  What,  sir,"  cried  he, 
"  do  you  tremble  ?"  "  Yes  sir,*'  replied  the  other,  "  and  if 
you  were  half  as  much  afraid  as  I  am  you  would  run  away." 
This  young  officer  signalized  himself  on  many  occasions  by 
his  gallantry,  tliough,  had  he  been  brought  up  in  savage  life, 
or  even  in  a  humbler  and  less  responsible  situation,  it  is  more 
than  probable  he  could  never  have  ventured  into  open  action. 

<«  Besides  we  must  consider  how  much  the  quality  of  open  and 
desperate  courage  is  cherished  and  stimulated  by  society.  It 
has  been  the  tlieme  of  many  a  spirit-stirring  song,  and  chival- 
ric story.     The  minstrel  has  sung  of  it  to  the  loftiest  strain 


X4\*  PREFACE, 

of  his  lyre — the  poet  has  delighted  to  shed  around  it  all  the 
splendours  of  fiction-— and  even  the  historian  has  forgotten  the 
sober  gravity  of  narration,  and  burst  forth  into  enthusiasm 
and  rllapsody  in  its  praise.  Triumphs  and  gorgeous  pageants 
have  been  its  reward — monuments,  where  art  has  exhausted 
its  skill,  and  opulence  its  treasures,  have  been  erected  to  per- 
petuate a  nation's  gratitude  and  admiration.  Thus  artificial- 
ly excited,  courage  has  arisen  to  an  extraordinary  and  facti- 
tious degree  of  heroism ;  and,  arrayed  in  all  the  glorious 
*^  pomp  and  circumstance"  of  war,  this  turbulent  quality  has 
even  been  able  to  eclipse  many  of  those  quiet,  but  invaluable 
virtues,  which  silently  ennoble  the  human  character,  and 
swell  the  tide  of  human  happiness. 

<«  But  if  courage  intrinsically  consist  in  the  defiance  of  dan- 
ger and  pain,  the  life  of  the  Indian  is  a  continual  exhibition 
of  it.  He  lives  in  a  perpetual  state  of  hostility  and  risk.— 
Peril  and  adventure  are  congenial  to  his  nature,  or,  rather, 
seem  necessary  to  arouse  his.faculties  and  give  an  interest  to 
existence.  Surrounded  by  hostile  tribes,  he  is  always  equip- 
ped for  fight,  with  his  weapons  in  his  hands-  He  traverses 
vast  wildernesses,  exposed  to  the  hazards  of  lonely  sickness, 
of  lurking  enemies,  or  pining  famine.  Stormy  lakes  present 
no  obstacle  to  his  wanderings ;  in  his  light  canoe  of  bark,  he 
sports  like  a  feather  on  their  waves,  and  darts  w  ith  the  swift- 
ness of  an  arrow  down  tlic  roaring  rapids  of  the  rivers. — 
Trackless  wastes  of  snow,  rugged  mountains,  the  glooms  of 
swamps  and  morasses,  where  poisonous  reptiles  curl  among 
the  rank  vegetation,  are  fearlessly  encountered  by  this  wan- 
derer of  the  wilderness.  He  gains  his  food  by  the  hardships 
and  dangers  of  the  chase ;  he  wraps  himself  in  the  spoils  of 


PREFACE.  XV 

the  bear,  the  panther,  and  the  buffalo,  and  sleeps  among  the 
thunders  of  the  cataract. 

*<  No  hero  of  ancient  or  modern  days  can  surpass  the  In- 
dian  in  his  lofty  contempt  of  deatli,  and  the  fortitude  with 
which  lie  sustains  all  the  varied  torments  with  which  it  is  fre- 
quently inflicted.  Indeed  we  here  behold  him  rising  superior 
to  the  white  man,  merely  in  consequence  of  his  peculiar  edu- 
cation. The  latter  rushes  to  glorious  death  at  the  cannon's 
mouth  ;  the  former  coolly  contemplates  its  approach,  and  tri- 
umphantly endures  it,  aniid  the  torments  of  the  knife  and  the 
protracted  agonies  of  lire.  He  even  takes  a  savage  delight  in 
taunting  liis  persecutors,  and  provoking  their  ingenuity  of  tor- 
ture ;  and  as  the  devouring  flames  prey  on  his  very  vitals, 
and  the  flesh  shrinks  from  the  sinews,  he  raises  his  last  song 
of  triumph,  brcatliing  the  defiance  of  an  unconquered  heart, 
and  invoking  the  spirits  of  his  fathers  to  w  itness  that  he  dies 
without  a  groan. 

^'  Notwithstanding  all  the  obloquy  with  wliich  the  early  liis- 
torians  of  the  colonies  have  overshadow  ed  the  characters  of  the 
wnfortimate  natives,  some  bright  gleams  will  occasionally  break 
through,  that  throw  a  degree  of  melancholy  lustre  on  their 
memories.  Facts  are  occasionally  to  be  met  with,  in  their 
rude  annals,  which,  though  recorded  with  all  the  colouring  of 
prejudice  and  bigotry,  yet  speak  for  themselves ;  and  will  be 
dwelt  on  with  applause  and  sympathy,  when  prejudice  siiall 
have  passed  away. 

<<  In  one  of  the  homely  narratives  of  the  Indian  w  ars  in 
New-England,  there  is  a  touching  account  of  the  desolation 
carried  into  the  tribe  of  the  Pequod  Indians.  Humanity  shud- 
ders at  the  cold-blooded  accounts  given,  of  indiscriminate 


butchery  on  the  part  of  the  settlers.  In  one  place  we  read  of 
the  surprisal  of  an  Indian  foii;  in  the  night,  when  the  wigwams 
were  wrapped  in  flames,  and  the  miserable  inhabitants  shot 
down  and  slain,  in  attempting  to  escape,  "  all  being  despatcli- 
cd  and  ended  in  the  course  of  an  hour."  After  a  scries  of 
similar  transactions,  ^<  Our  soldiers,"  as  the  historian  piously 
observes,  "  being  resolved  by  God's  assistance  to  make  a  final 
destruction  of  them,"  the  unhappy  savages  being  hunted  from 
their  homes  and  fortresses,  and  pursued  with  fire  and  sword, 
a  scanty  but  gallant  band,  the  sad  remnant  of  the  Pequod 
warriors,  with  their  wives  and  children,  took  refuge  in  a 
swamp. 

"Burning  with  indignation,  and  rendered  sullen  by  des- 
pair— with  hearts  bursting  w  ith  grief  at  the  destruction  of  their 
tribe,  and  spirits  galled  and  sore  at  the  fancied  ignominy  of 
their  defeat,  they  refused  to  ask  their  lives  at  the  hands  of  an 
insulting  foe,  and  preferred  death  to  submission. 

"  As  the  night  drew  on  they  were  surrounded  in  tlieir  dis- 
mal retreat,  in  such  manner  as  to  render  escape  impracticable. 
Thus  situated,  their  enemy  "  plied  them  with  shot  all  the  time, 
by  which  means  many  were  killed  and  buried  in  the  mire." 
In  the  darkness  and  fog  that  precedes  the  dawn  of  day,  some 
few  broke  through  the  besiegers  and  escaped  into  the  woods  : 
"  tljc  rest  were  left  to  the  conquerors,  of  which  many  wei*e 
killed  in  the  swamp,  like  sullen  dogs  who  would  rather,  ia 
their  self-willedncss  and  madness,  sit  still  and  be  shot  through, 
or  cut  to  pieces,"  tlian  implore  for  mercy.  When  the  day 
broke  upon  this  handful  of  forlorn,  but  dauntless  spirits,  the 
soldiers,  we  arc  told,  entering  the  swamp,  "  saw  several  heaps 
of  them  sitting  close  together,  uptm  whom  they  discharged 


PREFACE*  XVII 

their  pieces,  laden  witli  ten  or  twelve  pistol  bullets  at  a  time  j 
putting  the  muzzles  of  their  pieces  under  the  boughs,  within 
a  few  yards  of  them  3  so  as,  besides  tliose  that  were  found 
dead,  many  more  were  killed  and  sunk  into  the  mire,  and 
never  were  minded  more  by  friend  or  foe." 

*•'  Can  any  one  read  this  plain  unvarnished  tale,  without  ad- 
miring the  stern  resolution,  the  unbending  pride,  and  loftiness 
of  spirit,  tliat  seemed  to  nerve  tlie  hearts  of  these  self-taught 
heroes,  and  to  raise  them  above  the  instinctive  feelings  of  hu- 
man nature  ?  When  the  Gauls  laid  v*  aste  the  city  of  Rome, 
they  found  tiie  nobles  clothed  in  their  robes,  and  seated  with 
stern  tranquility  in  their  curule  chairs  ^  in  this  manner  they 
suffered  death  without  an  attempt  at  supplication  or  resistance. 
Such  conduct  in  them  was  applauded  as  noble  and  magnani- 
mous ',  in  the  hapless  Indians  it  was  reviled  as  obstinate  and 
sullen*  How  mucli  are  we  the  dupes  of  show  and  circum- 
stance !  How  different  is  virtue,  arrayed  in  purple  and  en- 
throned in  state,  from  virtue,  destitute  and  naked,  reduced  to 
the  last  stage  of  wretchedness,  and  perishing  obscurely  in  a 
wilderness. 

"  Do  these  records  of  ancient  excesses  fill  us  with  disgust 
and  aversion  ?  Let  us  take  heed  that  we  do  not  suffer  ourselves 
to  be  hurried  into  the  same  iniquities.  Posterity  lifts  up  its 
hands  with  horror  at  past  misdeeds,  because  the  passions  that 
urged  to  them  are  not  felt,  and  tlie  arguments  that  persuaded 
to  them  are  forgotten ;  but  we  are  i^econciled  to  the  present 
perpetration  of  injustice  by  all  the  selfish  motives  with  which 
interest  chills  the  heart  and  silences  the  conscience.  Even 
at  the  present  advanced  day,  when  we  should  suppose  that  en- 
lightened philosophv  had  expanded  orir  minds,  and  true  reli- 
D 


XVin  PKEFACK. 

gion  had  warmed  our  hearts  into  philanthropy — when  we  have 
been  admonished  by  a  sense  of  past  transgressions,  and  in- 
structed by  the  indignant  censures  of  candid  history — even 
now,  we  perceive  a  disposition  breaking  out  to  renew  the  per- 
secutions of  tliese  hapless  beings^  Sober-thoughted  men,  far 
from  the  scenes  of  danger,  in  the  security  of  cities  and  popu- 
lous regions,  can  coolly  talk  of  "  exterminating  measures," 
and  discuss  the  policy  of  extirpating  thousands.  If  such  is  the 
talk  in  the  cities,  what  is  the  temper  displayed  on  the  borders  ? 
The  sentence  of  desolation  has  gone  forth*—"  the  roar  is  up 
amidst  the  woods  ;*'  implacable  wrath,  goaded  on  by  interest 
and  prejudice,  is  ready  to  confound  all  rights,  to  trample  on 
all  claims  of  justice  and  humanity,  and  to  act  over  those  scenes 
of  sanguinary  vengeance  which  have  too  often  stained  the 
pages  of  colonial  history^ 

*<  These  are  not  the  idle  suggestions  of  fancy ;  they  are 
WTung  ff>rth  by  recent  facts,  which  still  haunt  the  public  mind. 
We  need  but  turn  to  the  ravaged  country  of  the  Creeks  to  be- 
hold a  picture  of  exterminating  warfare. 

«^  These  deluded  savages,  either  excited  by  private  injury 
or  private  intrigue,  or  by  both,  have  lately  taken  up  the  hatch- 
et and  made  deadly  inroads  into  our  frontier  settlements. — 
Their  punishment  has  been  pitiless  and  terrible.  Vengeance 
has  gone  like  a  devouring  fire  through  their  country — the 
smoke  of  their  villages  yet  rises  to  heaven,  and  the  blood  of 
the  slaughtered  Indians  ^yet  reeks  upon  the  earth.  Of  this 
merciless  ravage,  an  idea  may  be  fonned  by  a  single  exploit, 
boastfully  set  forth  in  an  official  letter  that  has  darkened  our 
pjiblic  journals.^   A  detachment  of  soldiery  had  been  sent  un- 

*  Lcl.tci-  of  §en.  Coffee,  dated  Ifov.  i,  1813, 


PREFACE.  XiX 

der  the  command  of  owe  general  Coffee  to  destroy  the  Tallus- 
hatches  towns,  where  the  hostile  Creeks  had  assembled.  The 
enterprise  w^as  executed,  as  the  commander  in  chief*  express- 
es it,  in  style — .but,  in  the  name  of  mercy,  in  what  style  !  The 
towns  were  surrounded  before  tlie  break  of  day.  The  inliabi- 
tants,  starting  from  their  sleep,  flew  to  arms,  w  itli  beat  of 
drums  and  hideous  yellings.  The  soldiery  pressed  upon  them 
on  every  side,  and  met  with  a  desperate  resistance — but  what 
was  savage  valour  against  the  array  and  discipline  of  scientific 
warfare  ?  The  Creeks  made  gallant  charges,  but  were  beat- 
en back  by  overwhelming  numbers.  Hemmed  in  like  savage 
beasts  surrounded  by  the  hunters,  wherever  they  tiu-ned  they 
met  a  foe,  and  in  every  foe  they  found  a  butcher.  "  The  ene- 
my retreated  firing,'^  says  Coffee  in  his  letter,  ^<  until  they 
got  around  and  in  their  buildings,  where  they  made  all  the 
resistance  that  an  overpowered  soldier  could  do ;  they  fouglit 
as  long  as  one  existed,  but  their  destruction  was  very  soon 
completed ;  our  men  rushed  up  to  the  doors  of  the  houses,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  killed  the  last  warrior  of  them ;  tlie  enemy 
fought  with  savage  fury,  and  met  death  with  all  its  horrors, 
without  shrinking  or  complaining ;  not  one  asked  to  be  spar- 
ed, but  fought  so  long  as  they  could  stand  or  sit.  In  conse- 
quence of  their  flying  to  their  houses,  and  mixing  with  the 
families,  our  men  in  killing  the  n^ales,  without  intention,  kill' 
ed  and  wounded  a  few  of  the  sqiia\vs  and  children  J' 

<^  So  unsparing  was  the  carnage  of  the  sword,  that  not  one 
of  the  warriors  escaped  to  carry  the  heart-breaking  tidings  to 
the  remainder  of  the  tribe.  Such  is  what  is  termed  execut- 
ing hostilities  in  style  /—Let  those  who  exclaim  with  abhor- 

*  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson, 


XX  PREFACE. 

rencc  at  Indian  inroads — those  who  are  so  eloquent  about  the 
bitterness  of  Indian  recrimination — let  them  turn  to  the  hor- 
rible \ictory  of  general  Coffee,  and  be  silent. 

"As  yet  our  government  has  in  some  measure  restrained 
the  tide  of  vengeance,  and  inculcated  lenity  towards  the  hap- 
less Indians  who  have  been  duped  into  the  present  war.  Sueh 
temper  is  worthy  of  an  enlightened  government — let  it  still  be 
observed — ^let  sharp  rebuke  and  signal  punishment  be  inflict- 
ed on  those  who  abuse  their  delegated  power,  and  disgrace 
tlieir  victories  with  massacre  and  conflagration.  The  enormi- 
ties of  the  Indians  form  no  excuse  for  the  enormities  of  white 
men.  It  has  pleased  heaven  to  give  them  but  limited  powers 
of  mind,  and  feeble  lights  to  guide  their  judgments;  it  be- 
comes us  who  are  blessed  with  higher  intellects  to  think  for 
them,  and  to  set  them  an  example  cf  humanity.  It  is  the  na- 
ture of  vengeance,  if  unrestrained,  to  be  headlong  in  its  ac- 
tions, and  to  lay  up,  in  a  moment  of  passion,  ample  cause  for 
an  age's  repentance.  We  may  roll  over  tliese  miserable  be- 
ings with  our  chariot  wheels,  and  crush  them  to  tlie  earth ; 
but  when  war  has  done  its  worst — -when  passion  has  subsided, 
and  it  is  too  late  to  pity  or  to  save — we  shall  look  back  witli 
unavailing  compunction  at  the  mangled  corses  of  those  whose 
cries  wxre  unheeded  in  the  fury  of  our  career. 

«  Let  the  fate  of  w^ar  go  as  it  may,  the  fate  of  those  igno- 
rant tribes  tliat  have  been  inveigled  from  their  forests  to  min- 
gle in  the  strife  of  white  men,  will  be  inevitably  the  same.  In 
the  collision  of  two  powerful  nations,  these  intervening  parti- 
cles of  population  will  be  crumbled  to  dust,  and  scattered  to 
the  winds  of  he-aven.  In  a  little  while,  and  they  will  go  the 
way  that  so  many  tribes  have  gone  before.    The  few  hordes 


that  stUl  linger  about  the  shores  of  Huron  and  Superiour,  and 
the  tributary  streams  of  the  Mississippi,  will  share  the  fate 
of  those  tribes  that  once  lorded  it  along  the  proud  banks  of  the 
Hudson  ;  of  that  gigantic  race  that  are  said  to  have  existed  on 
the  borders  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  of  those  various  nations 
that  flourished  about  the  Potowmac  and  the  Rappahanoc,  and 
that  peopled  tlie  forests  of  the  vast  valley  Shenandoah.  Tliey 
will  vanish  like  a  vapour  from  the  face  of  the  earth — their  very 
history  will  be  lost  in  forgetful ness — and  «<  the  places  tliatnow 
know  them,  will  know  them  no  more  forever." 

"  Or  if  perchance  some  dubious  memorial  of  them  should 
survive  the  lapse  of  time,  it  may  be  in  the  romantic  dreams  of 
the  poet,  to  populate  in  imagination  his  glades  and  groves,  like 
the  fauns,  and  satyrs,  and  sylvan  deities  of  antiquity.  But 
should  he  venture  upon  the  daik  story  of  their  wrongs  and 
wretehedess — should  he  tell  how  they  were  invaded,  corrupt- 
ed, despoiled— driven  from  their  native  abodes  and  the  sepul- 
chres of  their  fathers — hunted  like  wild  beasts  about  the  earth, 
and  sent  down  in  violence  and  butchery  to  the  grave — poster- 
ity will  either  turn  w  ith  horror  and  incredulity  from  the  talc, 
or  blush  with  indignation  at  the  inhumanity  of  their  forefath- 
ers.— "  We  are  driven  back,"  said  an  old  warrioi*,  "  until  we 
can  retreat  no  further — our  hatcliets  are  broken — our  bo^^s 
are  snapped — our  fires  are  nearly  extinguished — a  little  lon- 
ger and  the  white  men  will  cease  to  persecute  us-— for  we  will 
cease  to  exist  I" 


INTRODUCTION. 


JdoWEVER  despised  the  nation  of  the  Hehrews  were 
among  the  Greeks,  Romans  and  others  of  their  neighbours, 
during  the  existence  of  their  civil  government,  and  by  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  ever  since,  there  can  be  no  doubt  now, 
that  they  have  been  and  still  are  the  most  remarkable  people 
that  have  existed  shice  the  first  century  after  the  flood. 

It  does  appear  from  their  history,  and  from  the  holy  scrip- 
tures, that  the  great  Governor  of  the  Universe,  in  his  infinite 
wisdom  and  mercy  to  our  fallen  race,  did  select  this  nation^ 
from  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  as  liis  peculiar  people,  not 
only  to  hand  down  to  mankuid  at  large,  the  great  doctrine  of 
the  unity  of  his  divine  nature,  with  the  principles  of  the  wor- 
ship due  to  him  by  intelligent  creatures — the  imiversal  de- 
pravity of  man  by  the  fall  of  Adam,  with  the  blessed  means 
of  his  restoration  to  the  favour  of  God,  by  the  shedding  of 
blood,  without  which  there  could  be  no  forgiveness  of  sin. 
But  also  tliat  through  them  the  means  and  manner  of  the  atone- 
ment for  sin  by  the  promised  Messiah,  who  was  to  be  sent  in- 
to our  world  in  the  fulness  of  time,  for  this  invaluable  purpose, 
and  who  was  to  be  a  divine  person  and  literally  become  the 
desire  of  all  nations,  should  be  propagated  and  made  known 
to  all  mankind,  preparatory  to  his  coming  in  the  flesh.  And 
that  afterwards,  this  people  should  be  supported  and  proved 
in  all  ages  of  the  world;^by  means  of  their  miraculous  preser- 


2*  INTRODUCTION. 

vation  against  all  the  experience  of  other  nations.  For  wliile 
dispersed  throiigli  the  world  without  a  spot  of  land  they  could 
properly  call  their  own,  and  despised  and  persecuted  in  every 
part  of  it,  yet  they  have  continued  a  separate  people,  known  by 
their  countenances,  while  their  enemies  and  conquerors  have 
wasted  away  and  are,  as  it  were,  lost  from  the  earth,  in  ful- 
fdment  of  the  declarations  of  their  prophets,  inspired  by  God, 
to  the  astonishment  of  all  nations. 

This  people  was  also  a  living  example  to  the  world  of  the 
dealings  of  Divine  Providence  towards  the  workmanship  of  his 
hands,  by  rewarding  their  obedience  in  a  very  extraordinary 
manner,  and  punishing  their  wilful  transgressions  by  the  most 
exemplary  sufferings. 

Tliough  he  often  declared  them  his  peculiar — his  chosen — his 
eJed  people — nay  that  he  esteemed  them  as  the  apple  of  his  f  i/e,  for 
the  sake  of  his  servants  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  their  pro- 
genitors, yet  he  has  fully  shewn  to  tlie  world,  tliat  however 
dear  a  people  might  be  to  him  as  their  governor  and  king,  or 
by  adoption,  that  no  external  situation  or  special  circumstan- 
ces would  ever  lead  him  to  countenance  sin,  or  leave  it  unpun- 
ished, without  a  suitable  atonement  and  deep  repentance. 

They  also  answered,  but  in  a  stronger  manner,  the  use  of 
hieroglyphics  and  figures,  as  a  universal  language,  to  in- 
struct all  mankind  in  the  mind  and  will  of  God,  before  letters 
were  in  general  use,  and  had  this  knowledge  been  properly 
improved,  would  have  been  more  eifectual,  than  instruction  by 
word  of  mouth  or  personal  address. 

God  has  acknowledged  them  by  express  revelation — by 
prophecies,  forewarning  them  of  what  should  befall  them  in 
the  world,  accordingly  as  they  kept  his  commandments,  or 


INTRODUCTION.  2^ 

were  disobedient  to  them,  until  their  final  restoration  to  the 
promised  land.  In  short,  their  long  dispersed  state,  with  their 
severe  persecutions,  and  still  continuing  a  separate  people 
among  all  nations,  are  standing,  unanswerable  and  miraculous 
proofs  of  their  sacred  writings,  and  a  complete  fulfilment  of 
the  many  prophecies  concerning  them,  some  thousands  of 
years  past. 

Another  essential  purpose,  in  the  course  of  God's  providence 
with  his  people  is  also  to  be  produced.  The  restoration  of 
this  suffering  and  despised  nation  to  their  ancient  city  and 
their  former  standing  in  the  favour  of  God,  with  a  great  in- 
crease of  glory  and  happiness,  are  expressly  foretold  by  Christ, 
his  prophets  and  apostles,  as  immediately  preceding  the  se- 
cond coming  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  to  this  our 
earth,  with  his  saints  and  angels,  in  his  own  glory  as  media- 
tor, and  the  glory  of  the  father,  or  of  his  divine  nature,  plainly 
distinguished  from  that  humility  and  abasement  attending  his 
first  coming  in  the  flesh.  Of  course,  whenever  this  restora- 
tion shall  come  to  pass,  it  will  be  so  convincing  and  convict- 
ing a  testimony  of  the  truth  and  certaihty  of  the  whole  plan 
and  predictions  of  the  sacred  record,  as  powerfully  to  affect 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  bring  them  to  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  true  God,  even  our  Lord  Jesus  the  Christ. 

For,  as  Bishop  Warburtoh  justly  asks,  <*  Is  the  explanation 
of  the  (Economy  of  grace,  in  which  is  contained  the  system  of 
prophecy ;  that  is,  the  connection  and  dependance  of  the  pro- 
phecies of  the  several  ages  of  the  church  of  God,  of  no  use  ? 
Sd^y  of  the  greatest,  and  I  am  confident  nothing  but  the 
light  which  will  arise  from  thence,  will  support  Christianity 

under  its  present  circumstances.    But  the  contending  for  sin- 
E 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

gle  prophecies  only,  by  one  who  tliinks  they  relate  to  Christ 
in  a  secondary  sense,  only,  and  who  appears  to  have  no  high 
opinion  of  secondary  senses,  looks  very  suspicious." 

Had  all  the  great  facts  of  revelation  happened  several  thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  the  proof  of  their  reality  been  ever  so 
conclusive  at  the  time,  and  nothing  more  done,  but  barely  to 
hand  them  down  to  posterity  as  then  believed  in  the  testimo- 
ny for  their  support  at  a  given  period  from  their  fulfilment, 
would  have  lost  all  its  weight;  and  tlie  world  might  justly 
have  been  excused  for  doubting  of  their  credibility.  But  God, 
in  his  great  mercy,  has  now  left  the  children  of  men  without 
excuse ;  because  he  has  so  ordered  it,  in  his  infinite  wisdom, 
that  the  farther  we  recede  from  the  facts,  the  more  do  the  ev- 
idences increase  upon  us.  And  this  existence  of  the  Jews,  as 
a  separate  people,  under  all  their  afflictions  and  distresses, 
and  that  scattered  among  almost  every  nation  on  earth,  is  not 
among  the  least  conclusive ;  but  is  like  the  manna,  kept  in 
the  ark  in  a  staite  of  purity,  which  was  undeniable  evidence  of 
the  facts  related  in  their  history  to  the  succe/eding  generations, 
while  the  temple  lasted.  So  that  now,  no  reasonable  man  of 
common  abilities,  who  studies  that  history,  and  their  present 
circumstances  in  the  world,  with  impartiality,  care  and  close 
attention,  attended  by  a  real  desire  of  knowing  the  truth,  can 
long  doubt  the  divinity  of  the  sacred  volume. 

To  investigate  then  the  present  state  and  circumstances  of 
this  extraordinary  people — to  examine  into  their  general  his- 
tory, in  as  concise  a  manner  as  may  answer  our  general  plan 
— and  to  enquire  after  the  ten  tribes,  wliicli  formerly  constitut- 
ed the  kingdom  of  Israel,  that  now  appear  to  be  lost  from  tlic 
earth,  must  be  an  undertaking  (however  difficult  andunprom- 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

ising)  worthy  the  time  and  labour,  which  may  he  necessari- 
ly expended  therein. 

The  writer  of  these  sheets  must  acknowledge  himself  une- 
qual to  the  task ;  but  having  been  for  years,  endeavouring, 
but  in  vain,  to  urge  more  able  hands  to  turn  their  attention  to 
this  important  subject,  he  has  at  last  determined  to  attempt  it, 
under  all  his  diificulties  and  deficiencies,  on  the  principle,  that 
he  may  possibly,  by  drawing  the  outlines,  call  the  aid  of  some 
learned  and  more  able  pen  into  this  service,  being  in  his  opin- 
ion of  the  utmost  consequence  to  the  present  generation  in  par- 
ticular, as  that  era  in  which  the  latter  times,  the  last  times  of 
the  scriptures,  or  the  end  of  the  Roman  government,  seem  to 
be  hastening  with  rapid  stridCvS. 

This  subject  receives  great  additional  importance  from  its 
prophetic  connection,  as  before  mentioned,  with  the  second  ad- 
vent of  the  glorified  Messiali,  as  son  of  God,  to  this  our  world, 
in  fulfilment  of  his  own  gracious  promises  in  his  Iioly  word : 
the  signs  of  the  approacli  of  which,  he  has  expressly  command- 
ed us  to  watcli,  lest  when  he  comes,  as  he  will,  in  as  unex- 
pected a  manner  as  a  thief  in  the  niglit,  we  may  be  found 
sleeping  on  our  post  witli  the  foolish  virgins,  without  oil  in  our 
lamps. 

This  subject  has  occupied  t}ie  attention  of  the  w^riter,  at 
times,  for  more  than  forty  years.  He  was  led  to  the  consider- 
ation of  it,  in  the  fii'st  instance,  by  a  conversation  with  a  very 
worthy  and  reverend  clergyman  of  his  acquaintance,  wlio, 
having  an  independent  fortune,  undertook  a  journey  (in  com- 
pany with  a  brother  clergyman,  wiio  was  desirous  of  attend- 
ing him)  into  the  wilderness  between  the  Alleghany  and  iSIis- 
sisippi  rivers,  some  time  in  or  about  the  years  i765  or  6,  be- 


38  INTKODFCTION. 

fore  the  white  people  had  settled  beyond  the  Laurel  Mountain. 
His  desire  was  to  meet  with  native  Indians,  who  had  never 
seen  a  wliite  man,  that  he  might  satisfy  his  curiosity  by  know- 
ing from  the  best  source,  what  traditions  the  Indians  yet  pre- 
served relative  to  their  own  history  and  origin.  This,  these 
gentlemen  accomplished  with  great  danger,  risque  and  fa- 
tigue. On  their  return  one  of  them  related  to  the  writer  the 
information  they  had  obtained,  what  they  saw,  and  what  they 
heard. 

This  raised  in  the  writer's  mind  such  an  idea  of  some  for- 
mer connection  between  these  aborigines  of  our  land,  and  the 
Jewish  nation,  as  greatly  to  increase  a  desire  for  further  in- 
formation on  so  interesting  and  curious  a  subject. 

Soon  after,  reading  (quite  accidentally)  the  13th  chapter  of 
the  2d  apochryphal  book  of  Esdras,  supposed  to  have  been 
written  about  the  year  100,  of  the  christian  era,  his  ardour  to 
know  moic  of,  and  to  seek  further  into  the  circumstances  of 
these  lost  tribes,  was  in  no  wise  diminished.  He  has  not  ceas- 
ed since,  to  improve  every  opportunity  afforded  liim,  by  per- 
sonal interviews  with  Indians — reading  the  best  histories  re- 
lating to  them,  and  carefully  examining  our  public  agents  res- 
ident among  them,  as  to  facts  reported  in  the  several  histories, 
without  letting  them  know  his  object,  so  as  not  only  to  gratify 
his  curiosity,  by  obtaining  all  the  knowledge  relating  to  them 
in  his  power,  but  also  to  guard  against  misrepresentation  as  to 
any  account  he  miglit  thereafter  be  tempted  to  give  of  them. 
His  design  at  present  is,  if  by  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God 
his  life,  now  far  advanced,  should  be  spared  a  little  longer,  to 
give  some  brief  sketches  of  what  he  has  learned,  in  this  im- 
portant inquiry,  lest  the  facts  he  has  collected  should  be  en- 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

lively  lost,  as  he  feels  himself  culpable  for  putting  off  this  bu- 
siness to  so  advanced  a  period  of  life,  as  to  leave  him  but 
small  hopes  of  accomplishing  his  intentions. 

He  does  not  mean  to  attempt  to  solve  all  the  difficulties,  or 
answer  all  the  objections  that  may  very  probably  attend  this 
investigation.  It  must  be  obvious  to  every  attentive  reader, 
who  considers  the  length  of  time  since  the  first  dispersion  of 
the  ten  tribes  of  Israel — -the  wandering  and  destitute  state  of 
the  Indian  nations — ^their  entire  separation  from  all  civilized 
society — their  total  want  of  the  knowledge  of  letters  or  of  writ- 
ing— the  strange  inattention  of  most  of  the  Europeans,  who 
first  settled  among  them,  to  record  facts  relating  to  them,  and 
the  falsehood  and  deception  of  many  of  the  few  who  did  at- 
tempt it — the  difficulties  attending  the  obtaining  a  critical 
knowledge  of  their  language,  customs  and  traditions,  arising 
from  a  prudent,  though  a  violent  jealousy  and  fear  of  the  white 
people,  from  whom  they  have  received  little  else  but  irre- 
parable injuries,  wanton  destruction  and  extreme  sufferings. 
It  must  be  allowed  that  under  such  untoward  circumstances, 
many  unsurmountable  difficulties  must  arise,  that  cannot  be 
avoided. 

In  the  prosecution  of  this  compilation,  the  writer  will  avail 
himself  of  the  best  accounts  given  by  tlie  Spanish  writers,  he 
can  meet  with — ^the  histories  written  by  our  own  people  who 
first  visited  this  land,  or  have  since  made  themselves  acquaint- 
ed with  tlie  native  inhabitants,  and  recorded  any  thing  rela- 
tive to  their  languages,  customs,  manners  and  habits,  such  as 
Colden,  Adair,  Brainerd,  Edwards,  jun.  on  the  language  of 
the  Mohegans — also  of  tlie  information  received  from  the  Rev. 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

Dr.  Beatty,  Barli'am,  and  others,  of  their  personal  observa- 
tions, while  with  the  Indians. 

The  writer  is  aware  that  sir  WUiam  Jones,  whose  charac- 
ter stands  so  high  in  tlie  literary  world,  has  endeavoured  to 
shew  that  lie  has  discovered  the  tribes  of  Israel  in  the  Jifghans  of 
the  eastern  world,  and  he  produces  the  account  given  by  Es- 
dras  in  proof  of  it — And  although  the  wT-itcr  would  pay  tlie 
utmost  respect  to  the  learning  and  judgment  of  that  excellent 
man,  and  would  not  dispute  the  Afghans  being  of  Jewish  de- 
scent; yet  sir  William  himself,  in  his  abridgement  of  a  Per- 
sian work,  entitled  The  secrets  of  the  Jljghans^  transmitted  to 
him  by  Mr.  Vansittart,  informs  us,  that  this  people,  in  rela- 
ting their  own  story,  profess  to  be  descended  from  king  Saul. 
And  they  say,  that  Afghan  lived  in  the  time  of  David  and 
Solomon,  and  finally  retreated  to  the  mountains,  where  his 
descendants  became  independent,  and  exterminated  the  infi- 
dels, meaning  the  heathen.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  Saul  was 
not  an  Israelite,  but  the  son  of  Kish,  a  Benjamite,  and  there- 
fore may  well  be  found  in  the  east;  but  not  of  the  tribes  of  Is- 
rael.* Secondly. — If  we  look  carefully  into  the  account  given 
by  Esdras  (and  sir  William  has  given  authenticity  to  his  ac- 
count) we  find  that  the  ten  tribes  he  speaks  of,  were  carried 
away  by  Salmanazar,  and  it  is  agreed  on  all  hands,  that  he 
sent  them  unto  tlie  countries  near  the  Euxine  sea.  And  Es- 
dras says  they  determined  to  go  to  a  place  where  they  miglit 
keep  their  laws  and  remain  undisturbed  by  the  heatlien  ;  but 
if  they  had  gone  eastward,  they  would  have  been  in  the  midst 
of  them.  Thirdly. — Tliey  travelled  a  great  way  to  an  unin- 
habited country,  in  which  mankind  never  yet  dwelt,  and 

*  Vid.  r  Samuel,  Otli  chnp,  1  &  2. 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

passed  a  great  water,  but  the  eastern  coimtry,  even  in  tliat 
early  day,  was  well  inhabited.  These  facts  do  not  agree  with 
the  account  given  of  the  Afghans,  who  from  tlieir  own  state- 
ment, belong  to  another  tribe  and  lived  in  Persia,  from  whence 
they  can  return  to  Jerusalem  without  passing  by  sea  or  from 
the  coasts  of  the  earth. 


STAR  IN  THE  WEST 


CHAPTER  L 

Of  the  state  of  the  Jews, 

?JnE  would  imagine,  from  reasoning  on  the  importance 
of  tliis  nation  to  the  world  at  large — from  the  many  clear  and 
precise  histories  of  them  from  the  time  of  Abraham  their  great 
progenitor,  and  from  the  many  great  and  glorious  promises 
made  to  them  and  their  posterity  by  a  God  of  truth  and  faith- 
fidness,  on  condition  of  strict  obedience  to  liis  laws  as  contain- 
ed in  the  di\ine  scriptures,  that  every  person  of  leisure  and 
observation  would  wish  to  become  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  minute  circumstances  attendant  upon  them  from  age  to 
age.  But  such  is  the  nature  of  man— such  his  indolence  and 
inattention  to  things,  however  impoi'tant,  that  relate  to  distant 
objects  and  not  present  enjoyments,  that  judging  from  actual 
experience,  the  state  of  this  people,  and  their  hastening  res- 
toration to  their  beloved  city,  and  to  more  than  their  former 
celebrity  and  happiness,  engages  but  (comparatively)  few, 
even  of  those  whose  constant  business  in  propagating  the  gos- 
pel, ought  to  have  led  them,  with  peculiar  energy,  to  hav$ 

made  them  their  diligent  study. 
F 


Si  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

Indeed,  tlie  delays  the  writer  himself  has  made  in  this  hu^- 
iiess,  under  a  full  conviction  of  th^  necessity  of  it,  is  pretty 
good  evidence  of  the  tendency  of  the  human  heai't  to  avoid 
active  usefulness.  It  is  well  known  to  all  historians  and  read- 
ers of  tlie  old  testament,  that  God  brought  this  nation  of  the 
Jews  from  the  land  of  Egypt  in  a  miraculous  manner,  with 
many  signs  and  wonders,  through  a  barren  and  desolate  wil- 
derness, in  tlie  space  of  forty  years.  That  he  went  before 
them  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night.  That 
he  gave  them  laws,  written  by  the  finger  of  God,  and  prom- 
ised them  glorious  things  in  case  of  obedience ;  but  pronounced 
tlic  most  awful  threatcnings  of  misery  and  destruction  in  case 
of  disobedience  and  forsaking  liis  laws.  That  he  became  their 
jxilitical  Jdng  and  governor  by  express,  personal  consent,  and 
mutual  compact,  in  a  different  sense  fi-oin  that  in  which  he 
stood  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  by  which  they  wei*e  put  under  a 
complete  tlieocracy.  This  continued  till  Shiloh  came,  accord- 
ing to  the  prophetic  declaration,  when  the  government  of  the 
universal  chuixjh  of  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  descended  upon 
him. 

It  may  be  said,  that  the  Jews  were  long  governed  by  judges 
and  kings  after  their  possession  of  Canaan.  But  these  w^ere 
not  of  their  appointment,  but  of  the  appointment  of  God  under 
him,  as  his  substitutes  or  vicegerents* — See  2  Chron.  ix.  and 
8 — '^  Blessed  be  tlie  Lord  thy  God,  who  delighted  in  thee,  to 
set  thee  on  his  throne  to  be  king  for  the  Lord  tliy  God." — • 
1  Sam.  viii.  and  7. — "  xind  tlie  Lord  said  unto  Samuel,  heai'k- 
en  unto  the  voice  of  the  people  in  all  that  they  say  unto  thee, 
for  they  have  not  rejected  thee;  but  they  have  rejected  me, 
that  I  should  not  reign  over  them."    Also  Chron.  xiii.  and  8» 


A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST.  S5 

^<  And  now  ye  tliink  to  withstand  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  in 
the  hands  of  the  sons  of  David."  Yet  such  was  their  consti- 
tutional obstinacy  and  Iiardness  of  heart,  that  after  experi- 
encing the  most  unbounded  favors  from  God,  by  the  fullest  and 
most  miraculous  protection  and  signal  interpositions  in  their 
favor,  by  driving  out  the  Canaanites  before  them  and  placing 
them  in  the  promised  land,  wliich  is  described  as  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  they  continually  broke  their  solemn  cove- 
nant and  opposed  the  express  and  positive  commands  of  God 
himself,  given  and  enforced  in  all  the  majesty  of  Jehovah, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  Moses 
though  the  meekest  man  on  earth,  became  wearied  out  by 
their  perverseness  and  rebellion.  In  the  words  of  an  excel- 
lent writer,*  <«  there  is  nothing  deserves  more  particular  at- 
tention than  the  spirit  and  behaviour  of  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness.  A  very  remarkable  instance  of  the  wretched 
effects  of  servitude  upon  the  human  soul.  They  had  been 
slaves  to  the  Egyptians  for  about  140  years;  their  spirits 
were  debased,  their  judgments  weak ;  their  sense  of  God  and 
religion  very  low ;  they  were  defective  in  attention,  gratitude 
and  generosity ;  full  of  distrust  and  uneasy  suspicions;  com- 
plaining and  murmuring  under  the  most  astonishing  displays 
of  divine  power  and  goodness,  as  if  still  under  the  frowns  and 
scourges  of  their  unjust  task-masters;  could  scai»ce  raise  their 
thoughts  to  prospects  the  most  pleasing  and  joyous.  Tiiey 
knew  not  how  to  value  the  blessings  of  liberty — of  a  taste  so 
mean  and  illiberal  that  the  flesh  and  fish,  the  cucumbprs,  the 
melons,  the  leeks,  the  onions,  garlic,  and  such  good  things  of 

*  Taylor's  scheme,  Watsons  Col.  I  Vol.  111. 


S6  A   STAH  IN   THE   WEST. 

Egypt,  weighed  more  with  them,  than  the  bread  fi-om  heaven, 
(Numb.  xi.  4 — 6)  And  all  the  divine  assurances  and  demon- 
strations that  they  should  he  raised  to  the  noblest  privileges, 
the  highest  honours  and  felicity,  as  a  peculiar  treasure  to  God 
above  all  people  in  the  world.  In  short  nothing  would  do. 
The  ill  qualities  of  slavery  w^ere  ingrained  in  their  hearts— a 
grovelling,  thoughtless,  sturdy,  dastardly  spirit,  fatigued  the 
divine  patience,  counteracted  and  defeated  all  his  wise  and 
beneficent  measures;  they  could  not  be  worked  up  to  that 
sense  of  God ;  that  esteem  of  his  highest  favours ;  that  grati- 
tude and  generous  dutifulness;  that  magnanimity  of  spirit 
which  were  necessary  to  their  conquering  and  enjoying  the 
promised  land  ;  and  therefore  the  wisdom  of  God,  determin- 
ed that  they  should  not  attempt  the  possession  of  it,  till  that 
generation  of  slaves,  namely,  all  above  20  years  of  age,  were 
dead  and  buried.  However,  this  did  not  lie  out  of  the  divine 
plan.  It  served  a  great  purpose,  namely,  to  warn  tliat,  and 
all  future  ages  of  the  church,  both  Jewish  and  Christian,  that 
if  they  despise  and  abuse  the  goodness  of  God,  and  the  noble 
privileges  and  prospects  they  enjoy,  they  shall  forfeit  the 
benefit  of  them.  And  the  apostle  applieth  it  to  this  very  im- 
portant use,  with  great  force  and  propriety,  in  his  epistle  to 
the  Hebrews." — ii.  chap.  15,  to  the  end — iv.  1 — 12. 

Thus  it  was  that  Moses  being  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
their  untoward  dispositions,  and  tendency  to  revolt  to  the 
wicked  and  ridiculous  inventions  of  the  nations  around  them, 
and  being  inspired  with  a  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  in  very  sub- 
lime language,  warned  them  of  their  danger,  plainly  telling 
them,  if  they  would  obey  the  voice  of  tlie  Lord  their  God  in- 
deed^ and  keep  Ids  covenant,  then  they  should  be  a  peculiar 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  37 

treasure  to  him  above  all  people,  for  that  the  whole  earth  was 
his.  And  that  althougli  God  had  thus  kindly  diosen  them  as 
his  own  people,  yet  their  continuing  to  enjoy  his  protection 
and  favour,  depended  on  their  obedience  to  the  laws  he  liad 
given  tliem.  And  after  recapitulating  the  many  special  and 
unheard  of  mercies  and  extraordinary  dealings  of  the  Lord 
God  of  their  fathers  towards  them  fix)m  the  beginning,  and 
then  giving  them  many  excellent  rules  for  their  conduct,  he 
proceeded — "  Take  heed  unto  yourselves,  lest  ye  forget  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord  your  God,  which  he  made  witli  you,  and 
make  you  a  graven  image,  or  the  likeness  of  any  thing  which 
the  Lord  thy  God  hath  forbidden  thee.  For  the  Lord  thy 
Grod  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a  jealous  God.  Wlicn  thou 
shalt  beget  children  and  children's  children,  and  shalt  have 
remained  long  in  the  land,  and  shall  corrupt  yourselves  and 
make  a  graven  image,  or  the  likeness  of  any  tiling,  and  shalt 
do  evil  in  the  siglit  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  provoke  him  to 
anger ;  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  against  you  this 
day,  that  ye  sliall  soon  utterly  perish  fix)m  off  the  land  where- 
unto  ye  go  over  Jordan  to  possess  it ;  ye  shall  not  prolong  your 
days  upon  it,  but  shall  utterly  be  destroyed.  And"  tlie  Lord 
God  shall  scatter  you  among  the  nations;  and  ye  shall  be  left 
few  in  number  among  the  heathen,  whither  the  Lord  sliilll  lead 
you.  And  ye  shall  serve  other  gods,  the  work  of  men*s  hands, 
wood  and  stone,  which  neither  see  nor  hear,  nor  eat,  nor  smell. 
But  if  from  thence,  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord,  thy  God,  thou 
shalt  find  him,  if  thou  seek  him  with  all  thy  heart  and  with 
all  thy  soul.  When  thou  art  in  tribulation,  and  all  these  things 
are  come  upon  thee,  even  in  the  latter  days,  if  thou  turn  to  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  shall  be  obedient  to  his  voice;  for  the  Lord 


a8  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

thy  God  is  a  merciful  God,  he  will  not  forsake  thee,  neither 
destroy  thee,  nor  forget  the  covenant  of  thy  fathers,  which  he 
swear  unto  them."  Deut.  iv.  23 — 32.  And  Moses  after 
giving  them  a  most  excellent  system  of  laws  (as  he  had  re- 
ceived them  from  God)  in  the  26th  chap.  30th  verse,  enu- 
merates a  number  of  extraordinary  blessings  tliat  God  would 
confer  on  them,  in  case  of  their  hearkening  diligently  to  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  theii^  God,  to  observe  and  do  all  his  com- 
mandments, and  then  passes  the  following  awful  sentence  upon 
them,  in  case  ^^  it  should  come  to  pass,  that  they  would  not 
hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  their  God,"  that  the  extra- 
ordinary and  dreadful  curses,  mentioned  in  the  45th  to  the 
66th  verses,  which  he  recapitulates,  should  come  upon  them, 
and  then  concludes  in  the  29th  chap.  10th  verse,  ^*  ye  stand 
this  day,  all  of  you  before  the  Lord  your  God — your  captains  of 
yofiir  tnbes,  your  elders  and  your  officers^  with  all  the  men  of 
Israel,  that  thou  shouldest  enter  into  covenant  with  the  Lord 
tliy  God,  and  into  his  oath  wliich  the  Lord  thy  God  maketh 
witli  thee  this  day,  that  he  may  establish  thee  this  day  for  a 
people  unto  himself,  and  that  he  may  be  unto  thee  a  God,  as 
he  hath  said  unto  thee,  and  as  he  hath  sworn  unto  thy  fathers, 
to  Abraham,  to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob.  Neither  with  you  only 
do  I  make  this  covenant  and  this  oath;  but  with  him  who 
standeth  here  with  us  this  day,  before  the  Lord  thy  God,  and 
also  with  liini  who  is  not  here  with  us  this  day.  Lest  there 
sliould  be  witli  you  man  or  woman,  or  family  or  tribe,  whose 
heart  turneth  away  this  day,  from  the  Lord  your  God  to  go 
and  serve  the  gods  of  the  nations ;  lest  there  should  be  among 
you  a  root  that  beareth  gall  and  worm-wood,  and  it  come  to 
pass  when  he  heareth  the  words  of  this  curse  and  he  bless 


A   STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  39 

himself  in  his  heart,  saying,  I  shall  have  peace  though  I  walk 
in  the  stubhornness*  of  my  heart,  to  add  drunkenness  to  thirst ; 
the  Lord  will  not  spare  him ;  but  then  the  anger  of  the  Lord 
and  his  jealousy  shall  smoke  against  that  man,  and  all  the 
curses  written  in  tliis  book  shall  lie  upon  him,  and  the  Lord 
shall  blot  out  his  name  from  under  heaven.  And  the  Lord 
shall  separate  him  unto  evil,  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  ac- 
cording to  all  the  curses  of  the  covenant  that  are  written  in 
the  book  of  the  law.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  when  all  these 
things  are  come  upon  thee,  the  blessing  and  the  curse,  which 
I  have  set  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  call  tliem  to  mind  among 
all  the  nations  whither  the  Lord  tliy  God  hath  driven  thee, 
and  shalt  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  obey  his 
voice  according  to  all  that  I  command  thee  this  day,  thou  and 
thy  children,  with  all  thine  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul ;  that 
then  the  Lord  thy  God  will  turn  thy  captivity  and  have  com- 
passion on  thee,  and  will  return  and  gather  thee  from  all  the 
nations  whither  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  scattered  thee.  If  any 
of  thine  be  driven  unto  the  utmost  parts  of  heaven,  from  thence 
wiQ  the  Lord  thy  God  gather  thee,  and  from  thence  will  he 
fetch  thee.  And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  biing  thee  into  the  land 
which  thij  fathers  possessed,  and  thou  shalt  possess  it :  and  he 
will  do  to  thee  good,  and  multiply  thee  above  thy  fathers. 
And  the  Lord  tliy  God  will  circumcise  thy  heart  and  the  heart 
of  thy  seed,  to  love  tlie  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heaii;  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest  live.  And  the  Lord  thy 
God  will  put  all  these  curses  on  thine  enemies,  and  on  them  who 
hate  thee,  who  persecuted  thee.  And  thou  shalt  return  and  obey 
tlie  voice  of  the  Lord  to  do  all  his  commandments,  which  I  com- 

•  As  in  the  margin  of  tlic  bible. 


*0  A    STAR   IST   THE    WESt^ 

niand  tlice  this  day.  And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  make  tlie 
plenteous  in  every  work  of  thine  hand ;  in  tlie  friiit  of  thy  hody,* 
and  in  the  fruit  of  thy  cattle,  and  in  the  fruit  of  thy  land,  for 
good ;  for  the  Lord  will  again  rejoice  over  thee  for  good,  as  he 
rejoiced  over  thy  fathers.  Tfihou  shall  hearken  to  ilie  voice  oj 
the  Lord  thy  God,  to  keep  his  commandments  and  his  statutes  which 
are  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  ;  and  if  thou  turn  unto  the  Lord 
thy  God  rvith  all  thine  heart  and  with  all  thy  soid.^^ — But  these 
promises,  and  particularly  that  of  being  received  by  and  placed 
under  the  particular  and  visible  protection  and  government  of 
Almighty  God,  necessarily  required  their  separation  from  the 
nations  round  about  them,  wIk)  were  one  and  all  sunk  in  the 
most  stupid  idolatry.  To  increase  the  obligations  of  this  peo- 
ple to  God,  he  had  actually  condescended  (as  before  observed) 
to  become  their  king  and  head,  and  promised  to  attend  them 
through  the  wilderness,  during  all  their  travels,  as  a  pillar  of 
cloud  by  day,  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night.  Their  govern- 
ment thus  became  a  complete  theocracy,  both  in  their  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  establishments.  So  that  afterwards,  whether 
they  had  Moses  and  Aaron,  judges  or  kings  for  their  immedi- 
ate rulers,  they  w  ere  but  inferior  magistrates  in  their  govern- 
ment, appointed  by  and  under  liim  as  their  supreme  head  and 
sovereign. 

They  were  necessarily  and  expressly  to  be  separated  from 
all  the  people  of  the  earth,  as  a  nation ;  by  wliich  the  nature 
of  their  political  and  religious  institutions,  thus  united,  was 
made  known  to  the  world  at  large,  and  by  the  exclusive  na- 
ture of  their  principles  and  practices,  however  obnoxious  and 
offensive  to  other  nations,  who  universally  held  in  an  intercom- 
munion of  gods  and  divine  worship:  yet  their  attention  was 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WESTo  4J. 

tli€reby  strongly  drawn  to  consider  tliem  as  the  peculiar  cliar- 
actcristic  complexion  of  the  Jewish  government.  Tims  Moses 
understood  it  when  he  said  to  God,  "  for  wlierein  shall  it  be 
known  liere,  that  I  and  thy  people  have  found  grace  in  thy 
sight?  Is  It  not  that  thou  goest  with  us?  So  shall  we  be 
separated,  I  and  thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that  are  on 
the  face  of  the  earth." 

After  the  death  of  Moses,  and  Joshua  his  successor,  and  the 
congregation  of  the  Jews  having  partially  enjoyed  the  land  in 
tolerable  peace  and  quietness,  the  succeeding  generations  with 
their  kings  and  their  princes,  forgot  the  covenant  of  tlie  Lord 
their  God,  agreeably  to  the  prediction  of  Moses,  and  went  af- 
ter the  inventions  of  the  neighbouring  nations.  Yet  God  kind- 
ly sent  his  prophets  from  time  to  time,  to  refresh  their  memo- 
ries and  to  warn  them  of  their  danger,  in  case  they  persisted 
in  their  rebellion,  and  did  not  repent  and  return  to  the  Lord 
their  Gt)d,  with  all  their  heart  and  with  all  their  soul,  but 
continued  in  their  disobedience.  About  700  years  before  the 
christian  era,  near  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Salmanazar, 
king  of  Assyria,  Isaiah  the  prophet  of  God,  was  sent  to  them, 
with  tlris  solemn  and  awful  message.  *^  The  Lord  sent  a 
word  unto  Jacob  and  it  hath  lighted  upon  Israel,  and  all  the 
people  shall  know,  even  Ephraim  and  the  inhabitants  of  Sa- 
maria, who  say  in  the  pride  and  stoutness  of  their  heart,  the 
bricks  are  fallen  down;  but  w^e  will  build  with  hewn  stones. 
The  sycamore  trees  are  cut  downi,  but  we  will  change  them 
into  cedars.  Therefore  the  Lord  shall. set  up  the  adversaries 
of  Rezin  against  him,  and  join  his  enemies  together :  the 
Syrians  before  and  the  Philistines  behind,  and  they  shall  de- 
vour Israel  with  open  mouth ;  for  all  this  his  anger  is  not  tum^ 
G 


\'Z  A   STAR   IN   TlIE    WEST. 

ed  away,  but  his  hand  is  stretched  out  still.  For  the  people 
turiieth  not  unto  him  who  smiteth  them,  neither  do  they  seek 
the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Therefore  tlie  Lord  will  cut  off  fi-om  Israel, 
head  and  tail,  branch  and  rush,  in  one  day.  The  ancient  and 
honourable,  he  is  tlie  head,  and  the  prophet  who  teaches  lies, 
is  the  tail.  For  the  leaders  of  this  people  make  them  to  err, 
and  they  who  are  led  of  them  are  destroyed.  Therefore  the 
Lord  shall  have  no  joy  in  their  young  men,  neither  shall  have 
mercy  on  their  fatlierless  and  widows.  For  every  one  is  an 
hypocrite  and  an  evil  doer,  and  every  mouth  speak eth  folly. 
For  all  this  his  anger  is  not  turned  away,  but  his  hand  is 
stretched  out  still.  For  wickedness  burneth  as  the  fire ;  it 
shall  devour  the  briars  and  the  thorns,  and  shall  kindle  in  the 
thickets  of  the  forest :  and  they  shall  mount  up,  like  the  lifting 
up  of  the  smoke.  Througli  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is 
the  land  darkened,  and  the  people  shall  be  as  the  fuel  of  the 
fire  ;  no  man  shall  spare  his  brother.     Isaiah  ix.  8 — 19. 

"  O  Assyrian !  the  rod  of  mine  anger ;  and  the  staff  in  their 
hand  is  mine  indignation.  I  will  send  him  (the  Assyrian)  against 
an  hypocritical  nation,  and  against  the  people  of  my  WTath  will 
I  give  him  a  charge,  to  take  tlie  spoil  and  to  take  the  prey,  and 
to  tread  them  down  like  the  mire  of  the  street.'^  Isa.  x.  5 — G. 

After  grievous  sufferings  as  above  described,  God  in  his 
great  mercy,  shewed  that  he  would  still  be  gracious  to  them 
in  all  their  distress  and  apparent  abandonment,  in  this  con- 
solatory language — «•'  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day 
(the  latter  day)  that  Jehovah  shall  again,  the  second  time,  put 
forth  his  hand  to  recover  the  remnant  of  his  people  who  re- 
maineth  from  Assyria  and  fix)m  Egypt  and  from  Pathros*  and 

*  A  country  bordering  on  Egypt. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    >VEST.  43 

from  Cushf  and  from  Elamt  and  from  Sliinar§  and  fix)m  Ha- 
mah^y  and  from  the  western  regions,  (as  it  should  have  heen 
translated,  instead  of  the  islands  of  the  sea*)  Isaiali  xi.  11 — 15 
Lowi;h's  translation.  And  he  shall  lift  np  a  signal  to  the  na- 
tions, and  shall  gatlier  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and  the  dispersed 
(rf  Judah  shall  he  collect  from  the  four  extremities  of  the 
earth.  And  the  jealousy  of  Ephraim  shall  cease,  and  the  en- 
mity of  Judali  shall  he  no  more ;  Epliraim  shall  not  he  jealous 
of  Judah,  and  Judah  shall  not  be  at  enmity  with  Ephraim. 
But  they  sliall  invade  the  borders  of  the  Pliilistines,  west- 
ward ;  they  shall  spoil  the  children  of  the  east  together.  They 
sliall  lay  their  hand  upon  Edom  and  Moab,  and  the  children 
of  Ammon  shall  obey  them.  And  ^^  Jehovah  sliall  ^mite  with 
a  drought  the  tongue  of  the  Egyptian  sea ;  and  he  shall  shake 
his  hand  over  the  river  with  his  vehement  wind,  and  he  shall 
strike  it  into  seven  streams,  and  make  them  pass  over  it,  dry 
shod,  and  there  shall  (also)  be  a  high  way,  for  the  remnant  of 
his  people ;  which  shall  remain  from  Assyria,  as  it  was  unto 
Israel,  in  the  day  when  he  came  up  from  the  land  of  Egypt." 
By  this  representation  it  plainly  appears — 
1st.  That  the  people  of  the  Jews,  however  scattered  and  lost 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  are  in  the  latter  day  to  be  recovered 
by  the  mighty  power  of  God,  and  restored  to  their  beloved 
city  Jerusalem  in  the  land  of  Palestine. 

2d.  That  a  clear  distinction  is  made  between  the  tribes  of 
Judah,  in  which  Benjamin  is  included,  and  the  ten  tribes  of 

+  Or  Arabia. 

X  Meaning  Persia. 

^  Where  Babylon  formerly  stood. 

f  In^ Assyria,  to  thf»  east  of  the  mount'iins  forming  the  boundaries  of  Media. 

*  Lowth. 


4'i  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

Israel,  agreeably  to  their  particular  states.  The  first  is  des- 
cribed as  dispersed  among  the  nations  in  the  four  quarters  of 
the  world — -The  second  as  outcasts  from  the  nations  oftJie  earth* 

3d.  Thus  they  shall  pass  through  a  long  and  dreary  wil- 
derness from  the  nortii  country,  and  finally  enter  into  Assyria^^ 
(it  may  possibly  be)  by  the  way  of  some  narrow  strait,  where 
they  will  meet  together  in  a  body  and  proceed  to  Jerusalem. 

4th.  That  this  restoration  is  said  to  be  accomplished  a  se- 
cond time.  The  first  was  from  Egypt — tlie  second  is  to  bo 
similar  to  it,  in  several  of  its  remarkable  circumstances. 

5th.  The  places  from  whence  they  are  to  come,  are  ex- 
pressly designated.  They  are  to  come  first  fi*om  Assyria  and 
Egypt,  where  it  is  well  known,  many  of  the  tribes  of  JudaU 
and  Benjamin  were  carried  captive,  and  are  now  to  be  found 
in  considerable  numbers,  and  from  Pathros  bordering  on  Egijpt 
— and  from  Cush  and  from  Elam,  different  parts  of  Persia, 
wliere  the  present  Jews  are  undoubtedly  of  the  same  tribes, 
and  perhaps  mixed  witli  a  few  of  the  ten  tribes  who  remain- 
ed in  Jerusalem  and  were  carried  away  by  Nebuchadnezzar. 
And  from  Shinar  still  more  east  and  where  some  of  the  same 
tribes  are  now  found.  And  from  Hamah  near  the  Caspian 
sea,  where  some  of  the  ten  tribes  have  remained  ever  since 
the  time  of  Salmanazar  5  and  from  the  western  regions,^ 

6th.  Thus  we  have  the  two  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin 
well  known  to  be  dispersed  throughout  the  three  quarters  of 
the  world — But  as  to  the  majority  of  the  ten  tribes,  although 
every  believer  in  divine  revelation  has  no  doubt  of  their  be- 
ing preserved  by  the  sovereign  power  of  God  in  some  un- 
known region ;  yet  as  the  whole  globe  has  been  traversed  by 

*  See  Lowth. 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  45 

one  adventurer  or  another,  it  is  a  little  astonishing  that  they 
have  not  hitherto  heen  discovered.  By  the  representation 
above,  it  is  clear  that  we  must  look  for  them,  and  they  will  un- 
doubtedly, at  last  be  found,  in  tlie  western  regions,  or  some  place 
answering  this  description  as  the  place  of  their  banishment. 

God  proceeds  in  his  encouraging  prospects,  in  language  of 
the  greatest  affection.  "  But  now  saith  the  Lord,  who  cre- 
ated thee  O  Jacob,  and  he  wlio  formed  thee  O  Israel.  Fear 
not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee ;  I  have  called  thee  by  thy 
name ;  thou  art  mine.  When  thou  passest  through  tJie  waters^ 
I  will  be  with  thee,  and  through  the  rivers,  they  sliall  not  over- 
flow tliee;  when  thou  walkest  througli  tlie  fire,  thou  shalt  not 
be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee.  For  I 
am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  holy  one  of  Israel,  thy  saviour.  I 
gave  Egypt  for  thy  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for  thee. 
Since  thou  was  precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honour- 
able, and  I  have  loved  thee,  therefore  will  I  give  men  for  thee 
and  people  for  thy  life.  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee,  I 
will  bring  tliy  seed  from  the  east  and  gather  thee  from  the 
west;  I  will  say  to  the  north  give  up,  and  to  tlie  south  keep 
not  back;  bring  my  sons  from  afar  and  my  daughters /ro/]i  ihs 
ends  of  the  earthJ'    Isaiah  xliii.  1 — 6. 

Again,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  in  an  acceptable  time  I  have 
heard  thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  helped  thee,  and  I  will 
preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people  to 
establish  the  earth,  to  cause  them  to  inherit  the  desolate  heri- 
tages.  That  thou  may  est  say  to  the  prisoners  go  forth;  to 
them  w^ho  are  in  darkness,  show  yourselves.=^    They  shall 

*  Mr.  Paber  translates  this  "  to  them  who  are  in  darkness,"  "  Be  ye  discovered.'- 
This  is  peculiarly  applicable  to  the  present  state  of  the  Israelites,  as  we  hereinafter 
iu/»posc  them  to  be. 


46  A   STAR   IN   THE    ^VEST. 

feed  in  tlie  ways,  and  their  pastures  shall  be  in  all  high 
places.  They  shall  not  hunger  nor  thirst;  neither  sliall  the 
heat  or  sun  smite  them ;  for  he  who  shall  have  mercy  on  them 
shall  lead  them,  even  by  the  springs  of  water  shall  he  guide 
them.  And  I  will  make  all  my  mountains  a  way,  and  my 
high  ways  shall  be  exalted.  Beliold  these  shall  come  from 
far :  and  lo,  these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west;  and  these 
from  the  land  of  SinimJ^  Isaiah  xlix.  8 — 13.  Here  again 
they  are  described  as  passing  mountains /rom  far,  or  a  great 
distance,  and  that  from  the  north  and  west,  or  north-west;  and 
othei^  are  to  come  from  the  land  of  Sinim,  or  the  eastern  coun- 
try. "  Moreover,  thou  son  of  man,  take  thee  a  stick  and 
write  upon  it, /or  Jiidah  and  for  the  children  of  Israel  his  com- 
pajiLons.  And  then  another  stick,  and  write  upon  it,  for  Jo- 
seph, the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all  the  house  of  Israel,  his 
companions,''     Ezekiel  xxxvii,  16. 

It  appears  by  this  chapter,  that  there  are  some  few  of  the 
Israelites  still  with  Judah ;  but  all  are  again  to  become  one 
people  at  a  future  day.  It  also  appears  that  the  body  of  the 
house  of  Israel  are  remote  from  Judah,  and  are  to  be  brought 
fi*om  distant  countries  to  Jerusalem,  when  they  are  to  become 
one  nation  again. 

Their  approach  to  their  own  land,  is  so  joyous  an  event, 
that  Isaiah  breaks  forth  in  language  of  exultation.  ^<  Sing 
O  heavens !  and  be  joyful  0  earth,  and  break  forth  into  sing- 
ing 0  mountains,  for  the  Lord  hath  comforted  his  people,  and 
will  have  mercy  upon  his  afflicted." 

«  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  behold !  I  will  save  my  peo- 
ple from  the  east  country  (the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin) 
and  from  the  west  country  (the  ten  tribes  ,*)  and  I  will  bring 


A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST.  47 

them,  and  they  shall  dwell  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and 
they  shall  be  my  people  and  I  will  be  their  God  in  truth  and  in 
righteousness."  Zech.  viii.  7 — 8.  Ezekiel,  also  refers  to  the 
same  event :  "  As  I  live  saith  the  Lord,  with  a  mighty  hand  and 
an  stretched-out  arm,  Sind  xvith  fiiry  poured  aid  will  I  rule  over 
you.  And  I  will  bring  you  out  from  the  people,  and  will  gather 
you  out  of  the  countries  wherein  ye  are  scattered,  with  a  mighty 
hand,  and  with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  fury  poured  out. 
And  I  will  bring  you  into  the  wilderness  of  the  people,  and 
there  will  I  plead  with  you,  face  to  face,  like  as  I  pleaded  with 
your  fathers  in  the  wilderness  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  so  will 
I  plead  with  you  saith  the  Lord.  And  I  will  cause  you  to 
pass  under  the  rod ;  and  I  will  bring  you  into  the  bond  of  the 
covenant ;  and  I  will  purge  out  from  among  you  the  rebels  and 
tliem  who  transgress  against  me.  I  will  bring  them  forth  out 
of  the  country  where  tliey  sojourn,  and  they  shall  not  enter  into 
the  land  of  Israel,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord." 
Ezekiel  xx.  35 — 43. 

Here  we  see  that  they  are  distinguished  again,  by  those  of 
the  east  country  and  those  of  the  west  cmintry,  and  that  they  arc 
finally  to  be  united  under  one  government  again,  when  they 
shall  be  restored  to  Jerusalem,  yet  they  must  suffer  greatly 
by  the  way,  for  their  sins  and  continued  obstinacy,  which 
would  require  God's  fury  to  be  poured  out  upon  them,  for  the 
reluctance  with  which  they  will  attempt  the  journey  back  to 
Jerusalem.  In  short  their  restoration  again  to  the  city  of  God, 
will  in  many  things  be  similar  to  their  Exodus  from  Egypt  to 
Canaan.  They  will  be  obstinate  and  perverse  in  their  oppo- 
sition to  the  journey  :  and  on  the  way  will  shew  mucli  of  the 
same  spirit  as  their  fathers  did  in  the  vvilderness>  as  they  will 


4S  A  STAR   IN   THE   WEST* 

be  attached  to  the  land  of  their  banishment,  as  their  fathers 
were  to  that  of  Egypt.  Many  of  them  will  Iiave  a  wilderness 
to  pass  through,  as  Israel  of  old  had.  God  also  will  have  a 
controversy  with  them  by  the  way,  and  will  destroy  many  of 
them,  so  that  they  shall  never  see  Jerusalem,  tlie  beloved  city. 
But  those  who  hold  out  to  the  end,  in  their  obedience  to  the 
heavenly  call  and  submission  to  the  divine  will,  shall  be  accept- 
ed, and  these  shall  sincerely  repent  of  tlieir  past  transgres- 
sions. Again  ^*I  will  accept  you  with  your  sweet  savour, 
when  I  bring  you  out  from  the  people,  and  gatJier  you  out  of 
the  countries  wherein  ye  have  been  scattered,  and  I  will  be 
sanctified  in  you  before  the  heathen.  And  ye  shall  know  that 
I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  sliall  bring  you  into  tlie  land  of  Israel, 
into  the  country,  for  the  which  I  lifted  up  my  hand,  to  give  it 
to  your  fathers.  And  there  shall  ye  remember  your  ways> 
and  all  your  doings,  wherein  ye  have  been  defiled,  and  ye 
shall  loath  yourselves  in  your  own  sight  for  all  the  evils  that 
you  have  committed."  Bisliop  Warburton's  observations  on 
tliis  passage  are  worthy  of  notice. — ^He  says,  "  It  is  here  we 
see  denounced,  that  the  extraordinary  providence  under  which 
the  Israelites  had  always  been  preserved,  should  be  with- 
drawn, or  in  scripture  phrase,  that  God  would  not  be  enquired 
of  by  them.  That  they  should  remain  in  the  condition  of  their 
fathers  in  the  wilderness,  when  tlie  extrordinary  providence  of 
God,  for  their  signal  disobedience,  was,  for  sometime,  suspend- 
ed. And  yet  that  though  tliey  strove  to  disperse  themselves 
among  the  people  round  about,  and  projected  in  their  minds 
to  be  as  the  heathen  and  the  families  of  the  countries,  to  serv^e 
wood  and  stone,  they  should  still  be  under  the  government  of 
a  theocracy,  which  when  administered  without  an  extraordi- 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  49 

nary  providence,  the  blessing  naturally  attendant  upon  it,  was> 
and  justly,  called  the  rod  and  bond  of  the  covenanV^ 

Every  serious  reader,  who  takes  the  divine  scriptures  for 
his  rule  of  conduct,  must  believe  that  these  people  of  God  are 
yet  in  being  in  our  world,  however  unknown  at  present  to  the 
nations — and  as  God  once  had  seven  thousand  men,  who  liad 
not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  wlicn  he 
thought  that  lie  was  the  only  servant  of  God,  left  in  Israel,  so 
God  has  preserved  a  majority  of  his  people  of  Israel  in  some 
unknown  part  of  the  w  orld,  for  the  advancement  of  his  own  glory. 
And  we  plainly  see  in  the  quotations  above,  that  they  are  distin- 
guished again,  by  those  of  the  east  country,  and  those  of  the 
west  country,  and  that  though  they  were  finally  to  be  united 
into  one  government,  when  they  shall  be  restored  to  Jerusa- 
lem, yet  they  must  suffer  greatly  by  the  way,  for  their  sins 
and  continued  obstinate  provocations  of  the  divine  majesty, 
who  was  their  king  and  governor,  which  would  require  his 
fury  to  be  poured  out  upon  them  and  particularly  for  the  re- 
luctance with  which  they  they  shoidd  be  prevailed  on  to  at- 
tempt a  return  to  Jerusalem,  when  God  should  set  up  liis 
standard  to  the  nations  for  that  purpose.  In  short,  their  suf- 
ferings and  perverse  conduct  on  their  Exodus  from  Egypt  to 
the  land  of  Canaan,  seems  to  be  a  type  of  their  final  return 
to  Jerusalem.  They  will  be  obstinate  and  perverse  in  their 
setting  off  and  on  their  way,  as  they  will  be  greatly  attached 
to  the  land  of  their  banishment — They,  at  least  a  great  part 
of  them,  will  have  a  w  ilderness  to  pass  through,  as  their  fiith- 
crs  had.  God  will  have  a  controversy  with  them  by  the  way^ 
on  account  of  their  unbelief  and  the  customs  and  habits  indulg- 
ed among  them  contrary  to  the  divine  commandments^  as  he 
H 


50  A    ST  All    IN    THE    WEST. 

had  w  itii  their  liithers,  and  will  destroy  them  in  like  manner, 
so  that  they  shall  never  arrive  at  their  heloved  city,  as  was 
done  to  the  rehels  in  the  camp  of  Moses  and  Joshua.  They 
are  to  pass  through  waters  and  rivers  and  he  haptized  there- 
in as  their  fiithers  were  in  the  red  sea,  and  will  receive  the 
same  divine  protection. — Those  who  shall  hold  out  to  the  end 
in  a  line  of  ohedicnce  and  submission  to  the  divine  will,  shall 
be  accepted  and  safely  returned  to  tlie  land  promised  to  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  their  seed  after  tliem,  where  they 
sliall  sincerely  repent  and  mourn  for  all  their  former  trans- 
gressions.-* 

AYe  are  not  left  to  llie  predictions  and  encouraging  declara- 
tions of  one  or  two  prophets  of  God ;  but  Ezekiel  also  con- 
firms and  continues  the  divine  interference  in  their  favour, 
for  he  says,  *^  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  behold !  I  will  take  the 
children  of  Israel  from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  be 
gone,  and  will  gather  tliem  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  in- 
to tlieir  own  land ;  and  I  will  make  them  one  nation  in  the 
land  upon  tlie  mountains  of  Isi'ael :  and  one  king  shall  be 
king  to  them  all,  and  tliey  shall  no  more  be  two  nations,  neith- 
er shall  they  be  divided  into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at  all. 
Neither  shall  they  defile  themselves  any  more  with  their  idols, 
nor  with  their  detestable  things,  nor  with  any  of  their  trans- 
gressions. But  I  will  save  them  out  of  all  their  dwelling  pla- 
ces, wherein  they  tliey  have  sinned,  and  will  cleanse  them, 
so  tlicy  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God.  And 
David  my  servant  shall  be  king  over  them  ;  and  they  all  shall 
have  one  shepherd,  they  shall  also  walk  in  my  judgments  and 
observe  my  statutes  to  do  them.     And  they  shall  dwell  in  the 

*  Some  of  them  ai*e  to  be  ciu-ried  in  ships,  by  scafarirg  nations,  as  a  present  tr* 
the  Lord  at  Jevut,alein. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  5,1 

land  that  I  have  given  unto  my  servant  Jacob,  wherein  your 
fathers  have  dwelt,  and  tliey  shall  dwell  therein,  even  they 
and  their  children,  and  their  children's  cliildren  forever.  And 
my  servant  David,  shall  be  theii'  prince  forever. 

^<  Moreover  I  will  make  a  covenant  of  peace  with  tliem  ;  it 
shall  be  an  everlasting  covenant  with  tlicm.  And  I  will  place 
them  and  multiply  them,  and  will  set  my  sanctuary  in  the 
midst  of  them  for  evermore.  My  tabernacle  shall  also  be 
with  them,  yea,  I  will  be  their  God  and  they  shall  be  my  peo- 
ple. And  the  heathen  shall  know,  that  I  tiie  Lord,  do  sanc- 
tify Israel,  wlien  my  sanctuary  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  tliem 
forever  more." 

From  this  representation  it  appears,  that  the  posterity  of 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  are  still  God's  peculiar  people—- 
That  he  brought  them  with  a  mighty  arm  from  Egypt,  by  tlie 
way  of  the  wilderness  and  througli  the  red  sea.  That  he 
gave  them  laws  and  oi'dinances  to  wliich  he  commanded  tlie 
most  strict  obedience.  And  in  case  of  failure  and  wilful  diso- 
bedience, the  severest  curses  were  denounced  upon  them. 
They  were  to  be  divided  into  two  nations — to  be  scattered 
among  the  gentiles,  to  the  north  and  the  south,  to  the  east  and 
the  west.  They  were  to  be  driven  by  tlie  hand  of  God,  to  the 
utmost  parts  of  the  earth — Into  Assyria — Egypt — Pathros— ^ 
Cusli — Elam — Shinar — ^Hama — and  into  the  western  regions 
and  the  land  of  Sinim.  They  were  to  serve  gods,  the  work- 
manslup  of  men's  hands,  of  wootl  and  of  stone.  Israel  is  heav- 
ily charged  with  stubborn  disobedience,  and  is  threatened 
with  being  cut  off  suddenly,  as  in  one  day,  and  with  great  and 
accumulated  distress  aiid  anguish.     They  are  expressly  eliarg- 


32  A    STAR  IN   THE   WEST. 

ed  with  the  sin  of  drunkmnesSf  as  adding  drunkenness  to  thirst, 
as  their  prevailing  sin. 

On  the  other  Jiand,  the  promises  to  them  are  very  great, 
in  case  of  ohedicncc,  or  on  sincere  repentance  in  case  of  fail- 
ure. After  great  sufferings,  in  the  latter  days,  that  is  about 
the  end  of  the  Roman  government,  if  they  shall  seek  the  Lord 
their  God,  they  shall  not  be  entirely  forsaken,  or  totally  des- 
troyed* 

Moses  also,  by  the  command  of  God,  instituted  the  offices 
of  high  pnesi  and  priests  to  preside  over  and  govern  their  re- 
ligious rights  and  sacred  services.  He  consecrated  Aaron 
and  his  sons  to  these  important  offices,  and  vested  them  with 
the  most  extraordinary  powers,  that  were  ever  conferred  on 
a  mere  man.  Philo,  the  famous  Jewish  writer,  speaking  in  a 
lofty  rhetorical  way,  gives  tliis  cliaracter  of  the  Iiigli  priest—^ 
**  He  was  something  more  than  human.  He  more  nearly  re- 
sembled God,  than  all  the  rest,  That  he  partook  of  the  di- 
vine and  human  nature.  That  he  was,  on  the  day  of  expia- 
tion, a  mediator  between  G^d  and  his  people." 

The  high  priest  was  the  greatest  person  in  the  state,  next 
to  the  king  or  Judge,  and  represented  the  whole  people.  His 
business  was  to  perform  the  most  sacred  parts  of  the  divine 
service,  which  consisted  in  offering  up  the  appointed  sacrifi- 
ces, with  many  washings  and  carnal  ordinances,  as  particular^ 
ly  established  by  Moses.  He  was  clothed  with  the  priestly 
garments,  besides  tliosc  used  by  tlie  other  priests.  1st.  The 
robe  of  the  Ephod,  in  tlie  liem  of  which  were  72  bells.  2d. 
The  Ephod'*  itself,  which  was  like  a  waistcoat  without  sleeves, 

*  The  Ephod  was  considered  as  essential  to  all  the  parts  of  divine  ^vorsliip,  and 
without  it,  none  ever  enciuired  of  God. — Clarke. 


A  STAR  IN   THE   WEST,  53 

the  hinder  part  of  which  reached  down  to  the  heels,  and  the 
fore  part  came  but  a  little  below  the  stomacli.  It  was  fasten- 
ed on  the  shoulders.  To  each  of  the  shoulder-straps  was  fas- 
tened a  precious  stone,  on  which  was  engraven  the  names  of 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  3d.  He  wore  on  his  breast  a  piece 
of  cloHf  doubled  of  a  span  squai^e,  which  was  termed  the  breast 
plate,  and  in  it  were  set  twelve  precious  stones,  which  had 
the  names  of  the  twelve  patriarchs  engraven  on  them.  4th. 
He  wore  a  plate  of  gold  on  his  forehead,  which  was  tied  on 
the  lower  part  of  his  tiara,  with  purple  and  blue  ribbands : 
and  on  it  was  engraven.  Holiness  to  the  Lord.  He  wore  these 
only  when  he  ministered  in  the  temple. 

Moses  also  gave  them  special  injunctions  with  regard  to 
circumcision,^  and  all  the  furniture  of  the  temple,  particular- 
ly respecting  tlie  ark,  which  was  to  be  made  of  sliittim  w(>od, 
or  accasia,  called  an  incorruptible  wood  in  the  Septuagint. 
This  ark  was  a  kind  of  chest  or  box,  about  four  feet  five  inch- 
es long  and  two  feet  six  inclics  wide,  in  which  the  two  tables 
of  the  covenant,  or  law  (called  the  testimony  or  witness) 
written  by  the  finger  of  God  himself,  with  Aaron's  rod  and 
the  pot  of  manna  were  to  be  laid  up.  Exodus  xxv.  10. 
On  the  top  of  this,  was  placed  tlie  mercy  seat,  at  the  ends  of 
which  were  the  two  cherubim  of  gold,  between  whom  the  vi- 
sible appearance  of  the  presence  of  God,  as  seated  on  a  throne, 
was.  The  ark  was  the  principal  of  all  the  holy  things  be- 
longing to  the  tabernacle.     2d  Samuel,  vi.  12.     It  gave  a 

*  Some  of  the  Jewish  doctors  observe,  **  that  the  number  of  proselytes  in  the 
great  day  of  the  Messiah,  will  be  so  great  that  the  church,  omitting-  the  ceremony 
of  circumcision,  will  receive  them  into  its  bosom  by  ablution  or  baptism,  4th  voL 
Ijcighton's  woiks,  157. 


5*  A    STAR  IN   THE    WEST. 

sanction  of  holiness  to  every  place  where  it  was  brought.*  2(1 
Chmnicles  viii.  11.  Moses  also  commanded  them  to  keep  a 
continual  fre  upon  the  altars  of  that  which  first  was  given  from 
heaven,  and  to  keep  the  candles  burning  on  the  altar.  He  also 
appointed  three  grand,  annual  religious  festivals,  in  addition  to 
the  weekly  sabbath,  and  daily  and  other  sacrifices,  whiSl were 
to  be  religiously  attended  by  the  males  at  Jerusalem,  on  pain  of 
being  cut  off  fi'om  the  congregation. f  1st.  The  Passover  or 
feast  of  unleavened  bread.  It  continued  seven  days  from  the 
15th  day  of  March  till  the  21st.  On  the  eve  of  the  feast,  or 
the  1st  day  of  unleavened  bread,  being  the  14th  day  of  the 
month,  the  paschal  lamb  was  killed  and  eaten.  On  the  seven 
following  days  were  offered  the  paschal  sacrifices,  and  they 
eat  unleavened  bread.  The  first  and  last  days  were  sabbaths, 
on  which  they  held  their  holy  convocations.  On  the  tenth  day 
of  their  first  month,  Abib,  every  man  took  a  lamb  or  kid  of  the 
first  year,  without  blemish,  according  to  the  house  of  his  fath- 
ers, unless  tlie  household  was  too  small,  then  two  neighbours 
joined  together.  It  was  kept  four  days  till  the  14th  day,  when  it 
was  killed.  They  eat  tbe  flesh  that  night  roast  with  fire,  with 
unleavened  bread  and  bitter  herbs  ;  but  not  a  bone  of  it  was  to 
be  broken  ;  and  notliing  of  it  was  suffered  to  remain  until  morn- 
ing ;  but  if  any  did,  it  was  to  be  burned  with  fire.  During  the 
seven  days  of  unleavened  bread,  no  leaven  was  to  be  found  in 
their  houses,  and  none  was  to  be  eaten  on  pain  of  death. 

•  Aftei-  tlieir  return fx-om  the  captivity  of  Babylon,  they  had  synagogues  through- 
out the  land,;  and  at  the  east  end  of  each  synagogue,  they  placed  an  ark  or  chest 
in  conamemoration  of  the  foregoing  ark  of  the  covenant  in  the  temple  ;  and  in  this 
they  lock  up  tlie  pentateuch  written  upon  vellum  Avith  a  particular  ink.  Predeaux 
Con.  2d.  vol.  534. 

t  But  the  women  did  not  go  up,  and  seem  to  have  been  altogether  excluded: 
Tid.  2d  vol.  63—68, 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  55 

"  To  meet  tlie  letter  of  this  precept  in  the  fullest  manner  pos- 
sible, the  Jews,  on  the  eve  of  this  festival,  institute  a  most  rij;- 
orous  search  through  every  part  of  their  houses,  not  only  re- 
moving all  leavened  bread,  but  sweeping  every  part  clean, 
that  no  crumb  of  bread  should  be  left  that  liad  leaven  in  it — 
leaven  was  an  emblem  of  sin,  because  it  proceeded  fix)ra  cor- 
ruption. (Note  on  the  19th  verse  of  the  12th  Exodus,  by  Dr. 
Clark.)  The  next  day  after,  they  offered  to  God,  a  handful 
of  barley,  being  the  first  fruits  of  the  year,  which  the  high 
priest  ground,  and  putting  some  oil  and  frankincense  upon  it, 
he  presented  it  to  God — Then  they  offered  a  lamb  for  a  whole 
burnt  offering — A  meat  offering  was  also  made,  of  fine  flour 
mingled  with  oil — Also  a  drink  offering  of  wine — ^^nd  tlieij 
were  forbidden  to  eat  cither  bread  or  jmrched  corUf  or  green  ears, 
until  the  offering  was  brought  unto  God, 

2d.  The  feast  of  weeks  or  pentecost  or  harvest,  being  the  first 
fruits  of  tlieir  labours.  It  was  held  seven  weeks  or  fifty  days  af- 
ter the  Passover,  or  14th  March.  The  first  fruits  of  the  harvest 
were  now  offered  up  to  God.  Tliey  offered  up  two  cakes  made 
of  the  new  wlieat.  Deuteronomy  xvi.  16.  This  oblation 
was  accompanied  with  a  great  number  of  sacrifices,  and  sev- 
eral other  offerings  and  libations. 

od.  The  feast  of  in^athenng,  at  tlie  end  of  the  year,  and 
was  the  great  day  of  atonement  for  sin.  This  was  held  on  the 
10th  day  of  tlie  7th  month  Tizri,  answering  to  our  September 
and  October.  This  was  the  first  montli  of  tlie  civil  year,  and 
the  7th  of  the  ecclesiastical.^  On  the  1st  day  of  this  monlli 
was  held  the  memorial  of  blowing  of  trumpets.     On  the  15th 

*  On  it  was  held  a  holy  convocation  unto  the  Lord,  to  afflict  tlicir  souls  and  (»9"er 
an  offering  made  by  fire  unto  the  Lord.     Liviticus  23 — 27. 


56  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST, 

day  of  the  month  was  the  feast  of  Tahcmacles— it  was  kejit 
under  booths  or  green  tents  and  arbors  made  of  small  limbs  of 
trees,  in  memory  of  their  dwelling  in  tents  on  their  journey 
through  the  wilderness.  All  tlie  males  were  bound  to  appear 
at  Jerusalem  before  the  Loi'd,  and  this  was  one  of  their  great- 
est solemnities.  The  nation  was  also  divided  into  twelve  tribes, 
governed  by  a  chief  of  each  tribe,  under  Moses  and  Aaron. 
They  were  again  arranged  in  their  encampments  in  four  divi- 
sions, under  four  standards,  of  a  man,  an  eagle,  a  lion  and  an 
ox.  He  also  established  six  cities  of  refuge,  for  tlie  protection 
of  the  man-slayer,  who  was  guilty  through  accident,  or  igno- 
rance. He  appointed  an  avenger  of  blood.  This  was  founded 
on  what  God  says  to  Noah,  Genesis  ixth  chap.  5—6  ver. 
*'  Surely  your  blood  of  your  lives  will  I  require — at  the  hand 
of  man — at  the  hand  of  every  man^s  brother  will  I  require  the 
life  of  man.  Who  so  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his 
blood  be  shed,  for  in  the  image  of  God  made  he  manj"  And 
therefore  ^'  whosoever  killeth  his  neighbour  ignorantly,  whom 
he  hated  not  in  time  past,  he  shall  flee  into  one  of  these  cities 
and  live,  lest  the  avenger  of  blood  pursue  the  slayer  while  his 
heart  is  hot  and  overtake  him,  and  slay  him." 

Moses  chose  seventy  assistants  or  counsellors,  who  were  af- 
tervvai'ds  called  the  great  Sanhedrim,  or  council  of  the  nation. 
When  met  in  council,  the  high  priest  sat  in  the  middle,  and 
tlie  assistants,  or  elders,  on  each  hand  in  a  semi  circular  form. 
He  also  appointed,  by  the  command  of  God,  Aaron  and  his 
sons,  priests  to  the  congregation  of  Israel ;  It  was  the  duty  of 
tlie  priests,  among  other  important  objects,  publicly  to  bless 
the  people  in  tlie  name  of  Jehovah — to  attend  the  daily  wor- 
sliip  by  sacrifice  in  the  tabernacle— to  attend  the  religious 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  S7 

festivals-'^to  keep  up  the  sacred  fire  on  tlie  altar^  and  to  attend 
the  armyf  when  going  to  war,  wiVi  the  ark  of  the  corcenanl,  to  ask 
counsel  of  the  Lord,*  to  sound  the  trumpet  and  encourage  the 
troops.  Once  in  a  year  the  higli  priest,  cloathed  in  his  pon- 
tifical dress,  went  into  the  holy  of  holies,  when  he  had  on  the 
holy  linen  coat  and  the  linen  hreeches  on  his  flesh,  and  was 
girded  with  the  linen  girdle  and  attired  with  the  linen  mi- 
tre. Moses  also  gave  them  laws  as  to  clean  and  unolean 
beasts,  birds  and  fishes  ;  the  clean  of  which,  alone,  should  be 
eaten  or  sacrificed.  They  were  particularly  and  solemnly 
forbidden  to  eat  of  swincs  flesh,  or  the  blood  or  fat  of  the 
beast.  The  fat  and  entrails  of  the  sacrifices  were  to  be  burned 
on  the  altar,  which  was  to  be  made  of  earth,  or  stones  of  the 
brook,  on  which  an  instrument  was  not  to  comej,  that  is,  it 
was  not  to  be  of  hewn  stone. 

In  pi'ocess  of  time  the  people  grew  weary  of  being  govern- 
ed by  their  judges,  and  not  only  murmured  but  grew  very 
turbulent  and  rebellious.  They  tumultuously  demanded  a 
king  to  rule  over  them,  like  the  nations  round  about  them* 
Crod  in  his  righteous  judgment  gave  them  a  king,  at  the  same 
time,  by  his  prophet^  foretelling  them  of  their  fate  under  him* 
However,  their  change  of  government  made  no  change  in 
their  dispositions.  They  still  continued  tlieir  transgressions 
and  perverse  disobedience,  till  God  wearied,  as  it  were,  with 
their  obstinacy,  and  the  gross  iniquities  of  their  kings,  divid- 
ed their  nation  into  two  distinct  kindoms,  in  tlie  time  of  Re»- 
hoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon,  to  wit,  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  to 
which  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  was  united ;  and  the  kingdom  of 

♦  Vide  Numbers  x.  33—35-6,  and  quote  it  at  large.  Joshua  vi.  8— J 3.  Also 
1  Samuel,  iv.  5—7.    2  Samuel  tI.  6—7. 

I 


SS  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

Israel^  consisting  of  the  remaining  ten  tribes.  Even  this  did 
not  alaim  them  so  as  to  prevent  their  rebellious  spiiit.  But 
they  continued  for  some  hundred  years  in  the  most  stubborn 
opposition  to  the  laws  God  liad  gi^en  them  by  his  servant  Mo- 
ses, and  idolatry  seemed  to  become  a  more  desirable  object 
with  them  as  tlie  threatenings  of  God,  by  his  prophets,  were 
pointed  with  greater  severity  against  it.  They  went  so  far  as 
to  invite  Tiglah  Pilnezer,  king  of  Assyria,  to  aid  them  against 
the  king  of  Syria,  though  so  positively  forbidden  by  God;  and 
at  Ahaz,  king  of  Israel's  particular  request,  they  united  with 
him  and  took  Damascus,  and  carried  the  people  of  it  captives 
to  Ker  or  Keor,  the  ancient  Charboras  or  Chabar. — 2  Kings, 
xvi.  9.  And  such  was  their  obstinacy  and  rebellion,  that  it  is 
worthy  of  observation,  t.liat  Israel  had  not  one  single  king 
from  the  commencement  to  the  end  of  their  kingdom,  who 
feared  the  Lord  or  governed  agreeably  to  his  commandments. 
The  fate  of  Israel  was  fixed.  God,  in  his  rigliteous  displea- 
sure, at  length  cast  them  off,  and  gave  them  into  the  hands  of 
that  very  Tiglah  Pilnezer  who,  it  is  probable,  was  the  same 
with  Arbaxes,*=  the  first  king  of  Assyria  after  the  revolt  of 
the  Medes,  about  seven  hundred  and  forty  years  before  the 
christian  era,  who,  with  Maz>f  king  of  Judah,  as  we  have  al- 
ready mentioned,  took  Damascus  and  annexed  it  to  the  As- 
syrian empire  ;  thus  removing  the  barrier  between  that  em- 
pire and  Palestine,  so  that  both  kingdoms,  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine, became  an  easy  prey  to  this  powerful  monarch.  He  cap- 
tured the  Reubenites,  the  Gadites,  and  the  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  who  dwelt  on  the  east  side  of  Jordan,  and  carried  them 
captives,  and  placed  them  in  Halah  and  Harbor,  and  Harah^ 

*  Vide  1st.  vol.  Predeaux,  page  2-13. 


A  STAR  IN   THE   WEST.  59 

and  to  the  river  Gozan.^ — 1  Chronicles,  v.  26.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  that  the  king  of  Assyria  would  have  placed  so  turbu- 
lent a  people,  whom  he  had  led  away  captive  from  so  distant 
a  land,  and  whom  he  had  reason  so  greatly  to  dislike,  in  any 
fertile  part  of  his  kingdom  ;  it  is  most  likely  that  be  sent  the 
greatest  part  of  them  on  his  northena  frontier,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble from  a  probability  of  doing  him  any  harm  by  their  restless 
dispositions.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  express  words  of  the 
sacred  historian,  as  will  appear  liereafter.  About  twenty  years 
after  this,  or  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  years  before  the  Bab- 
ylonish captivity,  tlie  remaining  tribes,  persisting  in  their  im- 
penitence, and  neglecting  to  take  warning  by  the  miserable 
fate  of  their  brethren,  and  not  discovering  the  least  sign  of 
reformation,  God  raised  up  Shalmanazar,  the  successor  of  Tig- 
lah  Pilnezer,  who  besieged  Hoshea,  the  king  of  Israel,  in  Sar 
maria,  and  after  taking  tlie  city,  and  victoriously  conquering 

*  Harah,  or  as  it  is  called  by  some,  Hai'a,  which  in  Hebrew  signifies  bitter,  is 
the  root  from  whence  it  is  used  to  signify  a  mountainous  tract,  and  thus  gave  that 
name  to  the  country  north  of  Assyria,  near  to  Media,  and  perhaps  ran  through  it. 
On  the  north  of  this  tract  runs  the  river  Araxis,  now  called  Aras. — Oharius,  296. 
Obarius,  on  whom  much  dependence  may  be  placed,  describes  the  source  of  the 
river  Araxis  to  be  in  the  mountains  of  Ararat,  of  Armenia,  on  the  south  of  which 
river  lies  the  little  province  of  Ai"sea,  erroneously  supposed  by  him  to  be  the  Ar- 
sareth  of  Esdras  ;  so  that  Harah  is  no  other  tJjan  the  province  of  Iran,  situate  be- 
tween the  rivers  Charboras  or  Araxis,  as  it  is  called  in  the  Anabasis  of  Xenophoni 
and  Cyrus,  now  called  Aras  and  Kur.  Kur  (^  Ker  was  the  place  Tiglah  Pilne- 
zer sent  the  captives  of  Damascus,  and  was  to  the  south  east  of  Media. — Prideaux, 
vol.  1,  p.  13.  This  is  mentioned  also  in  Amos,  i.  5,  and  seems  to  be  a  distant  place 
even  from  Syria,  and  where  captives  were  usually  sent — Gozan,  and  the  river  of 
Gozan.  Ptolemy  places  the  region  of  the  Gauzanites  in  the  north  east  of  Mesopo- 
tamia, with  the  city  Gizana  near  tJie  river  Charboras,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountaia 
Masius,  and  another  region  called  Gauzania,  in  Media,  in  the  latitude  40,  15,  near 
the  river  Cyrus  or  Ker,  mentioned  above.  The  learned  Bochart  asserts  the  ci- 
ty Gauzania  to  lie  in  the  midway  between  the  mountain  Chaboras  and  the  Caspian 
sea,  and  between  the  two  streams  of  the  river  of  Cyrus,  and  says  that  probably  it 
gave  the  name  of  Gozan  both  to  the  river  and  country  ;  and  this  he  takes  to  be  tUe 
,  scripture  place,  as  being  the  city  of  the  Medes. 


6(1  A   STAB  IN   THE   WEST. 

the  remainiHg  tribes,  took  all  the  chief  men,  with  the  bulk  of 
the  nation,  now  lost  to  every  principle  of  gratitude  to  God, 
and  carried  them  also  captives  into  Assyria,  and  placed  most 
of  them  with  their  brethren,  who  had  been  formerly  taken  by 
Tiglah  Pilnezer,  in  Halah,  and  in  Harbor,  by  the  river  Go- 
zan,  in  the  cities  of  the  Medes ;  leaving  only  some  poor  re- 
mains of  the  people,  who  continued  in  the  land  in  a  miserable 
condition,  till  Ezzarhaddon  afterwards  removed  them  to  Bab- 
ylon and  other  eastern  countries  which  he  had  conquered.—* 
And  to  prevent  danger  from  their  numbers,  part  of  them  were 
removed  into  an  adjoining  district.  This  was  about  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-one  years  before  the  christian  era,  and 
nine  hundred  and  forty-seven  after  their  coming  out  of  Egypt, 
The  king  of  Assyiia  also  replaced  in  the  cities  of  Samaria  in- 
habitants from  Babylon,  and  from  Cutha,  a  river  of  Persia,* 
and  Ava,  Hamah  and  Sepharvin.--2  Kings,  xvii,  24*. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  ten  tribes,  except  a  few  who  took 
refuge  in  Jerusalem,  with  the  tribe  of  Judah.f  were  wholly  de- 
prived of  their  goodly  land,  and  transferred  into  the  northern 
parts  of  Assyria,  between  tlie  Euxine  and  Caspian  seas, 
among  the  cities  of  the  Medes,  except  a  part  of  them,  vvho 
were  settled  something  more  to  the  south,  in  Persia,  which 
was  then  a  part  of  the  Assyrian  monarchy. 

Tlie  two  tribes  and  an  half  on  the  east  side  of  Jordan,  in  the 
days  of  Jeroboam,  king  of  Israel,  amounted  to  eight  hundred 
thousand  mighty  men  of  valour — 2.Chronicles,  xiii.  3— -so  that 
the  whole  people  at  the  time  of  their  captivity,  including  those 
tribes,  being  about  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  years  after  Jer- 
oboam, must  have  amounted  to  a  very  large  number  indeed, 

^  Josephus,  vol.  2,  page  115.       2  Chrgnicles,  xj.  16. 


A  STAB  IN   THE   WEST,  61 

Here,  then,  in  all  likelihood,  they  must  have  remained  a  long 
time.  Besides  the  scriptures  mentioning  their  being  in  the 
cities  of  the  Medes  "  to  this  day,"  as  in  2  Kings,  xxiii.  41, 
and  in  1  Chronicles,  v.  26.  Josephus  mentions  tliem  in  his 
book  De  Bell.  lib.  2,  ch.  28,  of  the  Greek—in  the  Latin  808 
' — and  in  his  preface  705— .in  his  Antiquities,  lib.  20,  'ch.  9 — 
and  lib.  11,  ch.  5,  page  368.  And  Sulpitius  Severus,  as  quot- 
ed by  Flcmming  from  lib.  2,  cli.  16,  page  321,  and  who  wrote 
about  thf^  year  400,  says,  « the  ten  tribes  dispersed  among 
the  Parthians,  Medes,  Indians  and  Ethiopians,  never  returned 
to  their  ancient  inheritance,  but  are  subject  to  the  sceptres  of 
barbarous  princes.  The  scriptures,  however,  declare  in  the 
most  express  terms  that  they  shall  return  and  be  wholly  re- 
stored, with  the  other  tribes,  to  Jerusalem.  If,  then,  the  re- 
turn of  these  tribes,  wherever  they  may  be,  should  be  by  the 
way  of  the  Euxine  sea,  which  is  north  from  Judea,  they  need 
not  pass  over  the  Euphrates,  which  lies  across  and  in  the  mid- 
dle between  these  countries.  To  accomplish  this,  if  they  come 
from  the  north  east,  they  may  pass  over  the  Straits  of  Kam- 
schafka,  either  by  a  literal  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Red  sea  and  Jordan,  to  bring  more  declarative 
glory  to  God,  or  they  may  pass  from  island  to  island  in  bark 
boats,  or  in  ships,  or  perhaps,  as  the  most  likely  way,  they 
may  cross  on  the  ice.  They  will  be  a  long  time  in  travel- 
ling, perhaps,  to  prepare  them  for  their,  so  great  a  change  ia 
life,  as  in  the  forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  during  which  all 
the  rebellious  among  them  may  perish,  as  they  did  under  like 
circumstances  on  their  way  to  Canaan. 

The  geographical  situation  of  this  pai't  of  Assyria  is  w^ortb 
attending  to.    Media  lay  on  the  northern  side  of  the  Caspian 


62  A  STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 

sea,  bounded  by  the  mountains  of  Araxis,  or  Chaboras,  or  Aras, 
as  it  is  now  called,  which  separate  Media  on  the  north  from 
Armenia,  and  then  bounded  by  the  southern  shore  of  the  Cas- 
pian sea,  which  is  far  north,  having  on  the  west  the  river 
Halys,  rinming  into  the  Black  sea,  which  territory  has  been 
since  possessed  by  the  Tartars.  Persia  and  Susiana  are  contig- 
uous on  the  south.=*  The  country  is  mountainous  on  the  side 
of  Assyria,  and  a  ridge  of  mountains  that  runs  to  the  south  of 
the  Caspian  sea,  bounds  a  vast  plain,  a  great  part  of  which 
being  covered  with  salt,  is  uncultivated  and  depart.  Persian 
Irak  extends  at  present  over  a  .erre^t  part  of  ancient  Media, 
lliere  w  as  a  time  when  the  Medes  shook  off  the  Assyrian 
yoke,  and  ruled  over  that  part  of  Asia  which  extended  to- 
wards the  west,  as  far  as  the  river  Halys.  That  part  of  Me- 
dia contiguous  to  Armenia,  was  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
Atropatena,  the  capital  of  which  is  named  Gaza,  or  Gazaca, 
since  called  Ganzak.  Persia  extends  from  the  frontier  of 
Media  on  the  north,  to  the  Persian  Gulph  on  the  south,  and 
westward  to  the  river  Halys.   The  mountains  separating  Per- 

*  Ptolemy  mentions  a  mountain,  a  city  and  a  river,  by  the  name  of  Charboras, 
■which  divides  Assyria  from  Media  towards  the  north  west  The  river  arises  out 
of  the  mountain  Massius,  in  the  north  of  Mesopotamia,  and  appears  to  be  the  same 
as  Ezekiel,  i.  1—3,  calls  Chebar.  Habor,  or  as  it  is  called  in  Hebrew,  Chabor,  must 
have  been  the  city  of  this  name.  Aramianus  calls  the  river  by  the  name  of  Abo- 
ras.  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  the  Jewish  traveller,  who  lived  in  the  latter  end  of  the 
twelfth  century,  says,  that  passing  east,  he  came  to  the  river  Chebar,  where  he 
found  sixty  synagogues.  He  asserts  that  the  prophet  Ezekiel  was  buried  here,  and 
his  tomb  is  there  to  be  seen.  Rabbi  Pelakich  gives  an  account  of  some  Jews  he 
found  in  Tartary,  who  did  not  observe  the  traditions  of  the  fathers.  Upon  en- 
quiring why  they  neglected  them,  they  answered  that  they  had  never  heard  of 
them.  He  complains  that  the  Jews  were  greatly  diminished  on  the  banks  of  the 
Euphrates,  and  in  the  ancient  cities,  where  they  were  formerly  computed  to  have 
amounted  to  nine  hundred  thousand.— Modern  ITniversal  History.  Basnage  620. 
In  Thebes  he  found  two  thousand  Jews  engaged  in  the  silk  and  dying  business.— 
ChOibriand  lotrod.  15.     Perhaps  the  number  of  synagogues  i»  exaggerated. 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  63 

sia  from  Media,  were  called  Halzardera,  or  the  thousand 
mountains.  The  ahove  is  supposed  to  have  given  name  to  the 
river  Gozan,  which  ran  still  farther  north ;  hut  the  sound  has 
been  changed  by  length  of  time,  which  has  been  the  fate  of 
most  places  in  that  country. 

Soon  after  the  removal  of  the  ten  tribes  to  this  country, 
and  about  seven  hundred  years  before  Christ,  the  Medes  over- 
ran the  Assyrian  empire,  which,  from  remote  antiquity,  had 
extended  over  a  great  part  of  Asia.  The  Scythians,  who 
lay  still  farther  north,  about  one  hundred  years  afterwards^ 
conquered  the  Median  empire  in  Upper  Asia,  wlio  retained 
the  government  but  about  twenty-eight  years. — Herodotus, 
lib.  1, 157. — 1  Predeaux,  25,  35-6.  Even  this  was  long  enough 
to  promote  an  acquaintance  between  the  northern  parts  of  Me- 
dia and  the  still  more  nortliern  country  of  Scythia.  The  an- 
cient Scythia  was  the  general  name  given  to  Tartary,  which 
then  extended  from  tlie  mouth  of  the  Obey,  in  Russia,  to  the 
Dnieper ;  from  thence  across  the  Euxine,  or  Black  sea ; 
thence  along  the  foot  of  mount  Caucasus,  by  the  rivers  Ker  or 
Kur,  and  Aras,  to  the  C&spian  sea;  thence  to  the  White 
Mountains,  including  part  of  Russia,  with  the  districts  tliat 
lie  between  the  Frozen  sea  and  the  Japan  sea. — Sir  William 
Jones,  Dissert,  vol.  1, 142,  and  onward.  It  extended  farther 
north  than  was  known  to  the  then  neighbouring  nations,  liv- 
ing to  the  soutiiward  and  eastward.  From  the  mouth  of  the 
Danube  to  the  sea  of  Japan,  the  whole  longitude  of  Seythia, 
is  about  one  hundred  and  ten  degrees,  whicli,  in  that  parallel, 
are  equal  to  (rather  more)  five  thousand  miles.  The  latitude 
reaches  from  the  fortieth  degree,  which  touches  the  wall  of 
China,  above  one  thousand  miles  northward  to  the  frozen  re- 


6]t  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

gioiis  of  Siberia. — Robinson's  View  of  the  progress  of  society 
in  Europe,  page  335.  Mr.  Bryant  conjectures  that  the  name 
Scythia,  was  derived  from  Cuthaif  and  if  so,  it  casts  more  light 
on  the  prophetic  declarations  hereinafter  mentioned.  Sir  Wil- 
liam Jones,  speaking  of  the  language  of  the  Tartars,  says, 
<^that  their  language,  like  those  ofMierica,  was  in  perpetual 
fluctuation,  ,and  that  more  than  fifty  dialects,  as  Mr.  Hyde 
was  credibly  informed,  were  spoken  between  Moscow  and 
China,  by  the  many  hundred  tribes  and  their  several  branch- 
es." Yet  he  doubts  not  but  that  they  all  sprang  from  one 
common  source ;  excepting  always  the  jargon  of  such  wan- 
dering mountaineers  as,  having  long  been  divided  from  the 
main  body  of  the  nation,  must,  in  a  course  of  ages,  have  fram- 
ed separate  idioms  for  themselves.  But  need  we  go  farther 
than  the  Assyrians  and  Persians  themselves,  who  conquered 
the  ten  tribes  ?  They  had  an  original  language  of  their  own ; 
but  their  successors,  if  we  may  believe  the  best  historians, 
having  become  a  mixture  of  several  different  nations,  as  Sara- 
cens, Tartars,  Parthians,  Medes,  ancient  Persians,  become 
Mahometans,  Jews,  and  women  from  Georgia  and  other  coun- 
tries, transplanted  into  Persia,  have  now  a  debased  language, 
compounded  of  those  of  all  these  different  nations. — Hyde, 
The  country  into  which  the  ten  tribes  were  thus  transplanted, 
was  \'^ry  thinly  inhabited,  and  extended  farther  north  than  we 
are  yet  much  acquainted  with.  Those  captive  Israelites  must 
have  greatly  encrcased  in  numbers,  before  their  migration 
more  northward  and  westward.  This  is  confirmed  by  the 
names  of  the  towns  in  that  country,  which  to  this  day  bear 
witness  to  their  founders.  Samarcand,  plainly  derived  from 
Samaria,  is  a  very  large  and  populous  placQ.     They  have  a 


A    STAR    IN"    THE    WEST.  65 

(3ity  on  a  very  high  hill,  called  Mount  Tabor i  A  city  built  on 
the  river  Ardou,  is  named  Jericho,  which  river  runs  near  the 
Caspian  sea,  npon  the  north  and  north  east.  There  are  two 
cities,  called  Chorazin  the  great  and  the  less.  The  Tartar 
chiefs  are  called  Morsoyes^  very  like  Moyses,  as  Moses  is 
called  by  the  ancients. 

The  Tartars  boast  their  descent  from  the  Israelites,  and  the 
famous  Tamerlane  took  a  pride  in  declaring  that  he  descend- 
ed from  the  tribe  of  Dan.' — -Vide  note  in  page  62* 

The  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  are  dispersed  not  in  the 
north  east  country,  from  whence  the  passage  towards  Syria 
and  Palestine  lies  along  the  eastern  borders  of  the  Euxine  sea, 
but  in  the  western  and  southern  parts  of  Asia  and  Africa^ 
from  whence  the  passage  to  Syria  and  Palestine  lies  far  wide 
and  distant  from  it.  But  all  who  are  in,  or  come  through  the 
north  west  parts  of  Persia,  near  the  western  shore  of  the 
Caspian  sea,*  and  to  the  eastward  in  Mesopotamia,  must  pass 
the  Euphrates  to  get  to  Palestine. 

After  this  we  have  no  account  of  these  tribes,  except  what 
is  mentioned  in  2  Kings,  xvii.  23 — ^41,  and  1  Chronicles,  v. 
26,  wherein  it  is  said,  these  tribes  were  carried  out  of  their 
own  land  into  Assyria^  to  this  day,  &c. — until  the  time  of  Jo- 
sephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  who  mentions  them  ^^  as  then 
being  somewhere  beyond  the  Euphrates,'^  and  calls  them 
Adiabenians.j    The  other  two  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin^ 

*  The  Caspian  straits  are  placed  by  Ptolemy  between  IMedia  and  Parthia. 
Vide  page  67. 

■}■  The  river  Lyens,  Avhich  runs  a  little  west  of  Hala,  was  anciently  called  Zaba, 
or  Diava,  by  Ammianus,  which  signifies  aAvolf;  whence  this  portion  of  Assyria 
was  called  Adiabane,  and  the  river  Lyens  was  called  sometime  Ahavah  or  Adia- 
feane.    It  may  cast  some  light  on  this  subject  to  know  that  Josephus,  in  his  An- 

K 


66  A     STAR    IN    THF.    WEST. 

together  w  ith  a  few  of  the  ten  tribes  interspersed  among  them;, 
being  in  Asia  and  Europe,  living  in  subjection  to  the  Romans." 
One  of  the  late  Jewish  writers  says,  <^  the  Jews  relate  that 
the  ten  tribes  were  carried  away,  not  only  into  Media  and 
Persia,  hit  into  the  northern  countries  heyond  the  Bosphorus," — 
The  next  author  who  mentions  them  is  Orielius,  who  speaks  of 
them  as  being  in  Tartary. — ^Vide  note  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela, 
in  page  62. 

The  famous  Giles  Fletcher,  L  L.  D.  in  his  treatise  on  this 
subject,  printed  in  1677,  observes,  "  as  for  two  of  those  colo- 
nies of  the  Samaritan  Israelites,  carried  off  by  Salmanazer, 
wliich  w  ere  placed  in  Harak  and  Harbor,  they  bordered  both 
on  the  Medians,  (where  the  others  were  ordered  on  the  north 
and  north  east  of  the  Caspian  sea,  a  barren  country.)  So  that 
those  tribes  might  easily  meet  and  join  together  when  oppor- 
tunity served  their  turn,  wliich  happened  unto  them  not  long 
after,  when  all  the  provinces  of  Media,  Chaldaran,  and  Mes- 
opotamia, with  their  governors,  Merodach,  Baladin  and  Dejo- 
ceSf  called  in  the  scriptures  Arphaxad,  by  desertion,  fell  away 
from  the  Assyrians,  in  the  tenth  year  of  Esar-haddon.  And 
that  these  tribes  did,  not  long  after,  reunite  themselves  and 
join  in  one  nation,  as  they  were  before,  being  induced  partly 
by  their  own  desires,  as  disdaining  even  to  live  commixed 
with  other  people,  especially  such  abandoned  idolaters,  and 
partly  by  the  violence  of  the  Medians,  who  expelled  them 
thence." 

tiquities,  Book  20.  ch.  5,  says,  that  Helena,  queen  of  Adiabene,  -who had  embracer! 
the  Jewish  religion,  sent  some  of  her  servants  to  Alexandria,  to  buy  a  great  quan- 
tity of  corn  ;  and  others  of  them  to  Cyprus,  to  buy  a  cargo  of  dried  figs,  which  she 
distributed  to  the  Jews  that  were  in  want.  This  was  in  the  time  of  the  famine, 
mentioned  by  Agabus,  Acts  xi.  28,  and  took  place  in  Atino  Domini  47,  or  therea- 
bouts.   This  shews  that  there  were  manv  Jews  in  that  country. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  67 

That  the  ten  tribes  were  transjiorted  into  some  of  the  north- 
ern provinces  of  the  then  Assyrian  empire,  bordering  on  the 
Caspian  and  Euxine  seas,  and  to  the  northward  and  north 
cast  of  them,  is  universally  admitted,  and  fully  proved  by  the 
sacred  records.  And  that  they  continued  tlierc  a  very  con- 
siderable time,  and  became  very  numerous,  can  scarcely  be 
doubted ;  but  that  tliey  cannot  now  be  found  there,  in  any 
great  numbers,  is  also  very  cei'tain.  That  there  sliould  be 
found  some  remnant  still  in  that  country,  adds  to  tlie  proba- 
bility of  the  account  already  given.  In  the  sudden  removal 
or  migration  of  a  nation  from  one  country  to  another,  it  is  not 
probable  that  every  individual  would  be  included.  Many  at- 
tached to  the  soil  by  long  habit,  or  taste,  or  birth,  or  connected 
with  the  natives  by  domestic  circumstances,  or  from  various 
other  causes,  would  naturally  remain  behind,  and  their  pos- 
terity as  naturally  encreasing  by  time,  would  thus  prove  the 
fact  of  their  first  existence  there  as  a  nation.  Thus  it  was 
in  Samaria  and  Jerusalem^  when  Salmanazcr  carried  them 
away  captive ;  some  few  were  left  behind,  who  continued 
with  Judali  and  Benjamin,  and  were  finally  carried  away  by 
Ezzarhaddon  or  Nebuchadnezzar.^  It  therefore  becomes 
an  important  question,  what  became  of  them  ?  For  no  believer 
in  revelation,  as  already  observed,  can  admit  that  they  are 
lost  to  the  woiid,  while  God  has  made  so  many  promises  that 
he  will  bring  them  in  the  latter  days  from  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  and  that  they,  together  with  the  other  two  tribes,  shall 
be  reinstated  in  their  beloved  city.  Now,  as  Ave  know  them 
to  have  been  exposed  in  the  place  of  their  captivity,  at  differ- 

*  Josephus,  in  lils  enumeration  of  the  Israelites  carried  away  with  Juf'ah  anil 
Benjamin,  to  Babylon,  snys  fbey  amounted  to  six  hundred  and  fifty-two.— Vol.  2, 171, 


68  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

ent  periods,  to  oppression  and  the  severest  calamities ;  par- 
ticularly to  the  continual  blasphemous  worship  of  idolaters,  it 
certainly  seems  reasonable  to  conclude,  independently  of  any 
positive  testimony  which  may  be  alledged  on  the  subject,  that 
so  discontented  and  restless  a  people,  suffering  under  so  severe 
a  captivity,  would  strive  to  change  their  condition,  and  endea- 
vour to  remove  as  far  as  possible  from  their  oppressors.  Thig 
resolution  was  greatly  promoted  by  the  facility  with  which 
such  a  measure  might  be  effected,  on  so  distant  a  frontier, 
while  the  kingdom  was  involved  in  desolating  wars  with  the 
nations  around  tliem,  and  when  the  people  with  whom  they 
sojourned,  must  have  rejoiced  at  tlieir  leaving  them,  being 
such  troublesome  inmates.  They  must  have  known  the  suc- 
cess, first  of  the  Scythians,  then  the  Medes,  and  then  the 
Persians,  under  Cyrus,  which  was  followed  by  the  easy  con- 
quest of  the  whole  of  Media  and  Persia,  as  Herodotus  has 
shewn  in  his  history,  and  by  which  they  must  have  been 
encouraged  in  so  important  a  business.  The  power  of  the 
kingdom  was  also  coinparatively  weak,  at  so  great  a  distance 
from  the  capital,  and  distracted  with  political  cabals  and  inr 
surrections  against  Astigages,  who  reigned  over  both  Media 
and  Persia,  and  who  was  conquered  by  his  grandson,  Cyrus. 
And  it  is  not  improbable  but  that  a  removal  more  north,  by 
which  such  restless  subjects  would  leave  their  improvements 
and  real  property  to  the  other  inhabitants,  and  extend  the 
territory  of  their  governors,  would  not  have  been  disagreeable 
either  to  the  princes  or  people  of  that  country.  Again,  f^  the 
usual  route  from  the  Euxine  sea  to  the  noi'tliward  of  the  Cas- 
pian sea,  through  Tartary  and  Scythia,  to  Serica  and  the 
northern  parts  of  China,  by  which  the  merchants  carried  on 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  69 

ii  great  trade,  might  enable  the  tribes  to  travel  noii;h\vard 
and  eastward,  towards  Kamschatka."  At  least  this  is  the 
assertion  of  that  able  geographer  D'Anville,  io  his  ancient 
geography,  written  before  the  late  discoveries  of  Cook  and 
others.^Vol.  2,  621-3. 

But  the  most  minute  and  last  account  we  liave  of  them,  is 
in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  second  apochryphal  book  (f 
Esdras,  39 — 50.  Esdras  had  a  dream  or  vision — An  angel 
appeared  and  interpreted  it  to  him,  in  the  following  detail : 
<*  And  whereas  thou  sawest  that  he,  Jesus  the  Christ,  gath- 
ered another  jieaceable  multitude  unto  him ;  those  are  tlie 
ten  tribes,  who  were  carried  away  prisoners  out  of  their  own 
land  in  the  time  of  Hosea,  the  king,  whom  Salmaim%ar,  the 
king  of  Assyria,  led  away  captive.  And  he  carried  them  over 
tJie  waters,  and  so  they  came  into  another  land.  But  they  took 
this  counsel  among  themselves,  that  they  would  leave  the  mul- 
titude of  tlie  heathen,  and  go  forth  into  a  further  country,  where 
tiever  mankind  dwelt,  that  they  might  there  keep  their  statutes, 
which  they  never  kept  in  their  own  land.  And  they  entered 
into  Euphrates  by  the  narrow  passages  of  the  river ;  for  the 
Most  High  then  sliewed  signs  for  them,  and  held  still  the  flood, 
till  they  were  passed  over ;  for  througli  tliat  country  there 
was  a  great  way  to  go,  namely,  of  a  year  and  an  half.  A  nd 
the  same  region  is  called  Arsareth."  Here  was  a  great  river 
to  go  through,  called  Euphrates,  as  all  great  rivers  were  call- 
ed by  the  Jews.  It  could  not  be  the  river  of  the  east 
known  by  that  name,  because  it  was  in  a  further  country, 
where  mankind  never  dwelt.  But  the  river  Euphrates  lay 
to  the  southeastward  of  them,  and  runs  through  an  Inhabited 
country.    They  were  also  put  to  great  difficulties  to  pass  this 


70  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

river,  until  God  shewed  signs  to  them,  and  held  still  the  flood, 
which  is  a  very  expressive  term  for  the  passage  being  frozen 
over,  to  enable  them  to  pass  in  safety.  But  to  pix)ceed  with 
the  vision :  «  Then  dwelt  they  there,  until  the  latter  times. 
And  now  when  they  shall  begin  to  come,  the  Highest  shall 
stay  the  springs  of  the  stream  again,  that  they  may  go  through 
— therefore  sawest  thou  the  multitude  in  peace.  But  those  who 
he  left  behind  of  thy  people,  are  they  who  are  found  within  my 
bordei's.  JVow,  when  he  destroyeth  tJie  multitude  of  the  nations 
tliat  are  gathered  together,  he  shall  defend  his  people  who 
remain.  And  then  Jhe  shall  shew  them  great  wondtrs,^^  Hear 
the  words  of  Isaiah,  xi.  15,  16,  and  compare  them  with  the 
above.  "  And  the  Lord  shall  utterly  destroy  the  tongue  of 
the  Egyptian  sea,  and  with  his  mighty  wind  shall  he  shake 
his  hand  over  the  river,  and  shall  smite  it  in  the  seven  streams, 
and  make  men  go  over  dry  shod.  And  there  shall  be  an  high- 
way for  the  remnant  of  his  people,  who  shall  be  left  from  xVs- 
syria ;  like  as  it  was  to  Israel  in  the  day  that  lie  came  up  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt."  This  sea  and  river  cannot  mean  the 
Euphrates,  the  Nile,  or  the  Red  sea,  as  neitlier  is  in  the  way 
from  the  northern  parts  of  ancient  Media,  which  were  once  part 
of  Assyria,  where  these  tribes  dwelt.  The  Caspian  or  Cir- 
casian  strait,  through  the  mountains  of  Caucasus,  lies  about 
midway  between  the  Euxine  sea  to  the  west,  and  tbe  Caspian 
sea  to  the  east,  througli  Iberia.  After  passing  through  the 
strait  from  the  north,  by  keeping  a  little  west,  you  pass  on 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Euxine  sea,  through  Armenia 
Minor,  into  Syria  Proper,  and  by  the  head  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean sea  to  Palestine,  without  going  over  the  Euphi-ates. 
But  all  who  are  in  Persia,  in  Armenia  Major,  and  to  the 


A    STAR   IX   THE    WEST.  T± 

eastward  in  Mesopotamia,  and  beyond  Babylon,  must  pass  the 
Euphrates  to  get  tlierc.  But  as  before  obsci'ved,  the  Jews 
called  all  great  rivers  by  the  name  of  the  Euphrates,  or  of 
some  large  river  well  known  to  them.  Nay,  they  called  tlie 
invasion  of  a  formidable  enemy  by  the  name  of  a  large  river, 
when  they  came  from  the  noi'th.  "  Now  therefore  beliold 
the  Lord  bringeth  up  upon  them  the  waters  of  the  river, 
strong  and  many,  even  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  all  his  glory 
— and  he  shall  come  up  over  all  his  cliannels  and  go  over  all 
his  banks."  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  behold  waters  rise  up 
out  of  the  north,  and  shall  be  an  overflowing  flood,  and  sliall 
overflow  the  land,  and  all  that  is  therein,  the  city,  and  them 
who  dweU  therein ;  then  the  men  shall  cry,  and  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  land  shall  howl,  at  the  noise  of  the  stamping  of 
the  Tioofs  of  his  strong  horses,  at  the  rushing  of  his  chariots." 
— Isaiah  viii.  7. — Jeremiah  xlvii.  2,  3. 

By  the  above  story  out  of  Esdras,  it  appears,  as  it  does  in 
the  bible,  that  these  tribes  were  taken  by  Salmanazar,  in 
the  time  of  Hoshea,  their  king,  and  carried  away  over  tlie 
waters  into  a  strange  land,  that  is,  transplanted  into  Media 
and  Persia.  There,  after  suffering  a  long  time,  how  long  is 
not  known,  but  it  is  pretty  clear  that  it  must  have  been  for 
some  hundred  years,  they  repented  of  their  former  idolatry, 
and  became  discontented  and  restless,  being  distressed  and 
wearied  out  with  the  folly  and  wicked  practices  of  their  idol- 
atrous neighbours  around  them.  They  consulted  with  their 
brethren  in  the  northwestern  parts  of  Persia,  in  the  cities  of 
the  Medes,  who  were  not  far  from  them,  and  took  counsel 
together,  and  resolutely  determined  to  leave  tiie  multitude  of 
the  heathen,  and  travel  farther  north,  in  search  of  a  country 


72  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

uninhabited  and  not  claimed  by  any  one,  and  of  course  free 
from  the  troublesome,  dangerous  neighbourhood  and  example 
t)f  the  heathen — nay,  a  country,  wherein  mankind  never  yet 
dwelt.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  men  to  run  into  extremes ; 
though  it  is  not  improbable  but  that  they  might  have  had  some 
divine  direction  in  the  business.  They  resolved  to  risk  every 
danger  and  inconvenience,  to  avoid  opposition  to,  and  tempta- 
tion from,  keeping  the  statutes  of  the  Lord,  which  they  had  so 
totally  neglected  in  their  own  holy  land,  having  been  led  away 
hy  the  awful  examples  of  the  nations  around  them. 

The  foregoing  extract  from  the  apochryphal  book  of  Esdras, 
is  not  quoted  as  having  divine  authority ;  but  merely  as  the 
historic  work  of  some  Jew  of  an  early  day.  Eengelius  and 
BasnagCf  both  assert  that  it  is  generally  admitted  by  the 
learned,  that  those  books  of  Esdras  were  written  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  second  century.  They  are  held  uncanonical  by 
all  protestants,  not  having  been  ever  quoted  by  tlie  fathers^ 
or  any  early  christian  writer,  as  of  divine  authority.  The 
Church  of  England,  by  her  sixth  article,  permits  them  to  be 
read  for  example  of  life  and  instruction  of  manners  ;  but  does 
not  allow  them  to  establish  any  doctrine  of  religion.  The  Ro- 
man Catholics  consider  them  as  of  divine  authority.  This  quo- 
tation from  the  first  book  of  Esdras  is  used  here,  as  any  other 
account  of  an  early  transaction,  by  an  author  living  near  the 
time  of  the  event,  would  be.  This  Jew  seems  to  be  a  serious 
and  devout  writer,  on  a  subject  he  appears  to  be  acquainted 
with,  and  from  his  situation  and  connections,  might  be  suppos- 
ed to  know  something  of  the  leading  facts.  And  whether  he 
wrote  in  a  figurative  style,  or  under  the  idea  of  similitudes, 
dreams  or  visions,  he  appears  to  intend  the  communication  of 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  7d> 

events  that  he  believed  had  happened,  and  as  far  as  they  are 
corroborated  by  subsequent  facts,  well  attested,  they  ouglit  to 
have  their  due  weight  in  the  scale  of  evidence. 

These  Israelites,  then,  accordingly  executed  their  purpose, 
and  left  their  place  of  banishment  in  a  body,  although  it  is 
hardly  to  be  doubted  but  some,  comparatively  few,  from  va- 
rious motives,  as  before  observed,  remained  behind ;  although 
their  places  may  have  been  filled  up  by  many  natives,  who 
might  prefer  taking  their  chance  with  them  in  their  emigra- 
tions, which  were  common  to  the  people  of  that  region,  espe- 
cially the  old  inhabitants  of  Damascus  removed  to  the  river 
Ker,  by  Tiglah  Pilnezer,  some  time  before  the  taking  of  Sa- 
maria, and  the  removal  of  the  ten  tribes.  They  proceeded  till 
they  came  to  a  great  water  or  river,  which  stopped  their  pro- 
gress, as  they  had  no  artificial  means  of  passing  it,  and  reduc- 
ed them  to  great  distress  and  almost  despair.  How  long  they 
remained  here,  cannot  now  be  known ;  but  finally,  God  again 
appeared  for  tliem,  as  he  had  done  for  their  fathers  of  old  at 
the  Red  sea,  by  giving  them  some  token  of  his  presence,  and 
encouraging  tliem  to  go  on ;  thus  countenancing  them  in  their 
project  of  forsaking  the  heathen.  God  stayed  the  flood,  or 
perhaps  froze  it  into  firm  ice,  and  they  passed  over  by  the 
narrow  passages  of  the  river,  which  may  have  been  occasion- 
ed  by  the  islands,  so  that  they  might  go  from  island  to  island, 
till  they  landed  on  the  opposite  side  in  safety.  They  might 
have  been  a  long  time  exploring  the  banks  of  this  water,  as 
some  of  the  nations  of  Europe,  with  all  their  means  of  knowl- 
edge, have  since  done,  before  they  discovered  these  narrow 
passages,  w  hich  gave  them  hopes  of  success. 
L 


7-i>  A    ST  All   IN    THE    MEST- 

Here,  then,  they  found  a  desart  land,  of  a  better  soil  aird 
climate,  and  went  on,  and  in  process  of  time  travelled  so  far 
as  to  take  a  year  and  an  half,  which,  construed  according  to 
the  proplietic  rule  of  their  ancestors,  a  year  for  a  day,  would 
make  upwards  of  five  hundred  years,  and  thus  literally  found 
a  country  w  herein  mankind  never  yet  dwelt. 

But  although  these  Children  of  Israel  might  have  passed 
over  the  straits  of  Kamschatka,  and  peopled  the  northeast 
parts  of  America,  and  so  went  on  to  the  southward  and  east- 
ward, and  left  some  settlers  wherever  they  remained  any 
time ;  yet  it  does  not  follow  that  they  might  not  have  been 
attended  by  many  of  tlie  inhabitants  of  Scythia  or  Tartary, 
who  were  willing  to  try  tlieir  fortunes .  w ith  them.  Neither 
does  it  follow,  that  some  persons  of  other  nations  might  not 
have  been  driven  by  storms  at  sea  on  the  American  coasts, 
and  made  settlements  there.  All  these  might  have  contribut- 
ed to  establish  customs  among  them,  different  from  their  own, 
and  also  might  adulterate  and  change  theii'  language  in  some 
instances,  as  was  done  in  Babylon. 

In  this  land,  then,  they  are  to  remain  till  the  latter  time, 
when  Jeliovalr  will  "  put  forth  his  hand  again  a  second  time, 
to  recover  the  remnant  of  his  people  that  remaineth  from 
Assyria,  from  Hamah  or  Hala,  and  the  western  regions  ;*  and 
he  will  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations^  and  will  assemble  the 
outcasts  of  IsraclJ^  <*  And  the  Lord  with  his  mighty  wind  will 
shake  his  hand  over  the  river,  and  will  strike  it  into  seven 
streams,  and  make  them  pass  over  dry  shod,  and  there  shall 
be  a  high  way  for  the  remnant  of  his  people,  who  remain  from 
Assyria,  as  it  was  unto  Israel  in  the  day  that  he  came  out  of 

*  Lowth's  translation. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  75 

the  land  of  Egypt." — Isaiah  xi.  16 — as  wc  liave  hcforc  men- 
tioned. 

These  trihcs  liavc  hcen  thus  lost  for  more  than  two  thousand 
years.  Those  of  Judali  and  Benjamin  being,  a  considerable 
time  after  the  conquest  of  Samaria,  carried  away  captives  to 
Babylon,  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  perhaps  with  some  of  their 
brethren  of  the  ten  tribes,  who  might  have  remained  with 
them  in  Jerusalem,  were  settled  in  Babylon  during  seventy 
years,  when  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  again  by  the  consent 
of  their  conquerors,  and  remained  in  possession  of  their  belov- 
ed country  till  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  whom  they  per- 
versely put  to  death  on  the  cix>ss,  and  voluntarily  imprecated 
that  his  blood  might  rest  on  them  and  their  children  ;  wiiicli 
has  since  been  awfully  verified,  by  their  misery  and  disper- 
sion, having  been  led  away  again  into  captivity  by  the  Romans, 
who  burned  their  city  and  made  their  land  a  desolation  and  a 
curse.  From  this  awful  and  tremendous  fate,  the  ten  tribes, 
by  their  previous  captivity  and  banishment,  have  been  happi- 
ly delivered,  having  had  no  hand  in  this  impious  transaction. 

It  was  about  forty  years  after  the  crucifixion,  that  the  con- 
quest of  the  Romans,  and  the  burning  of  their  temple  and  city 
took  place.  The  Romans  ploughed  up  the  scitc  of  the  city- 
according  to  the  Messiah's  prediction,  and  drove  the  tribes  of 
Judah  and  Benjamin  as  slaves  and  criminals  into  every  coun- 
try of  the  east.  They  sold  thousands  of  tliem  as  tliey  do  cat- 
tle, and  they  literally  became  a  bye-word  and  a  hissing  with 
all  nations.  But  at  this  time  their  brethren  the  ten  tribes  of 
Israel,  were  in  their  state  of  banishment  on  the  frontiers  of 
Persia  and  Media,  from  whence  they  have  disappeared  and 
are  generally  supposed  to  be  lost.     And  were  it  not  for  the 


76  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

promises  of  that  God,  who  cannot  deceive,  a  God  of  holiness 
and  truth,  we  should  give  up  any  enquiry  after  them  as  hope- 
less. But  he  whose  word  is  truth  itself  has  said,  "  that  in 
the  latter  days,  he  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  his  people 
Israel  and  Judah,  and  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the  land 
that  he  gave  to  their  fathers,  that  they  should  possess  it.  Go 
and  proclaim  these  words  towards  the  north,  and  say  return 
thou  backsliding  Israel,  saith  the  Lord.  At  that  time  they 
shall  call  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  the  Lord.  And  all  the 
nations  shall  be  gathered  to  it,  to  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to 
Jerusalem ;  neither  shall  they  walk  any  more  after  the  stub- 
bornness of  their  evil  heart.  In  those  days  the  house  of  Judah 
shall  walk  with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  they  shall  come  togeth- 
er out  of  the  land  of  the  north,  to  the  land  that  I  have  given 
for  an  inheritance  unto  your  fathers."  Jeremiah  iii.  12 — 18. 
<'  For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  sing  with  gladness  for  Jacob,  and 
shout  among  the  chief  of  the  nations — publish  ye — praise  ye 
— and  say,  O  Lord  save  thy  people,  the  remnant  of  Israel. 
Behold  !  I  will  briug  them  from  the  north  country ,  and  gather 
them  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth,  and  with  them  the  blind  and 
the  lame,  the  woman  with  child  and  lier  who  travaileth  with 
child  together,  a  great  company  shall  return  thitlier."  Jere- 
miah iii.  7 — 8. 

<«  Therefore  behold !  the  days  come  saith  the  Lord,  that 
they  shall  no  more  say,  the  Lord  livetli  who  brought  up  the 
children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ;  but  the  Lord  liveth 
who  brought  up  and  led  the  seed  of  the  house  of  Israel  out  of 
the  north  country,  and  from  all  countries  whither  I  have  driven 
them,  and  they  shall  dwell  in  their  own  land."  Jeremiah  xxiii. 
7-r^8.    "Behold!   the  davs  come  saitli  the  Lord,  that  the 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  77 

ploughman  shall  overtake  the  reaper;  and  the  treader  of 
grapes,  him  who  sowcth  seed  :  And  the  mountain  shall  drop 
new  wine,  and  all  the  hills  shall  melt.  And  I  will  hring  again 
the  captivity  of  my  people  Israel,  and  they  sliall  huild  the 
waste  cities  and  inhahit  them.  And  they  shall  plant  vine- 
yards and  drink  of  the  wine  thereof :  they  sliall  also  make 
gardens  and  eat  the  fruit  thereof,  and  I  will  plant  them  upon 
their  land,  and  they  no  more  shall  he  pulled  up  out  of  the  land, 
which  I  have  given  them  saith  the  Lord  thy  God."  Amos  ix. 
13,  &c.  **  For  they  shall  abide  many  days  without  a  king  and 
witliout  a  prince,  without  a  sacrifice  and  without  an  image 
(the  word  means  a  pillar,  or  chief  support,  and  may  be  transla- 
ted, an  altar,  which  suits  the  context)  and  without  an  ephod 
and  without  a  teraphim ;  but  afterwards  shall  the  children  of 
Israel  return  and  seek  the  Lord  tlieir  God,  and  David  their 
king,  and  shall  fear  tlie  Lord  and  his  goodness,  in  the  latter 
days."     Hosea,  iii.  4 — 5. 

<<  God  calls  to  his  people — Ho !  Ho !  come  forth  and  flee 
from  the  land  of  the  north,  for  I  have  spread  you  abroad  as  the 
four  winds  of  the  heavens,  saith  the  Lord."  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  behold !  I  will  save  my  people  from  the  east 
country  and  from  tlie  rvest  co2intrij,  or  the  country  of  the  going 
down  of  the  snnJ^  Zcchariah,  ii.  6 — viii.  7,  as  it  is  in  the  mar- 
gin of  the  bible. 

We  say,  if  it  was  not  for  these  and  such  like  promises,  it 
might  be  thought  presumption  and  folly,  for  any  one  to  waste 
his  time  in  enquiring  after  this  long  lost  people,  as  it  would 
then  have  been  most  natural  to  conclude  that  they  had  passed 
into  oblivion,  with  the  nations  of  the  east  and  the  west,  their 
conquerors,  as  Babylon,  Nineveh,  Assyria  and  Egypt.     But 


78  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

as  Jehovah  cannot  deceive,  hut  is  the  same  yesterday,  to  day 
and  forever,  whose  words  are  yea,  and  amen,  who  hath  said, 
"yet  now  thus  saith  Jehovah,  who  created  thee  O  Jacob! 
and  who  formed  thee  O  Israel !  fear  thou  not,  for  I  have 
redeemed  thee — I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name — tliou  art 
mine — fear  thou  not  for  I  am  with  thee — from  the  east  I  will 
bring  thy  children,  and  from  the  west  I  will  gather  thee  togeth- 
er. I  will  say  to  the  north  give  up,  and  to  the  south  withhold 
not,  bring  my  sons  from  (far,  and  my  daughters /roin  the  ends 
of  the  earth.^'    Isaiah,  xliii.  1 — 6. 

From  all  this  it  plainly  appears  from  whence  the  Jews  arc 
to  be  gathered  a  second  time,  when  they  shall  be  brought 
home  again.  They  are  to  come  from  Assyria  and  Egypt, 
where  it  is  wxll  known  very  many  of  the  tribes  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin  are  now  to  be  found,  and  from  Pathros,  and  from 
Cnshf  and  from  Elam,  (different  parts  of  Persia,  where  they 
are  of  the  same  tribes,  with  perhaps  a  small  remnant  of  the 
Israelites)  and  from  Shinar,  still  more  east,  consisting  wholly 
of  the  two  before  mentioned  tribes,  and  may  include  the  black 
Jews,  and  from  Hamah  near  the  Caspian  sea,  where  some  of 
the  ten  tribes  may  have  remained  behind,  on  the  departure  of 
their  brethren  to  the  northward,  and  from  the  western  regions. 

Thus  we  are  to  look  to  some  western  i-egion,  for  a  number, 
rather  for  the  main  body,  of  this  dispersed  nation.  Now  as 
no  other  part  of  the  world  lias  yet  been  discovered  where  the 
body  of  the  Israelites  as  a  nation,  have  been  found,  it  may  be 
justly  concluded,  that  they  must  at  last  be  discovered  in  some 
western  region,  not  yet  taken  notice  of,  where  they  are  kept 
till  the  day  of  their  deliverance.  . 


! 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  79 

To  a  believer  in  the  divinity  of  tlic  bible,  there  can  be  no 
hesitation,  but  that  all  this  will  most  assuredly  come  to  pass 
in  the  most  literal  and  extensive  sense.  These  lost  tribes 
must  be  some  where  on  our  earth,  answerable  to  tlie  7iorth  and 
the  west  from  Jerusalem — a  far  off,  even  in  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  And  as  from  the  present  signs  of  the  times,  particu- 
larly of  the  Roman  government  and  the  reign  of  antichrist,  we 
may  rationally  conclude  tliat  these  are  the  latter  times,  tiie 
last  times  of  the  Roman  government,  and  that  the  great  things 
foretold  in  the  word  of  God,  are  fast  accomplishing,  it  becomes 
'  a  duty  now,  to  search  diligently  into  these  great  subjects  of 
christian  consideration,  and  attend  to  what  the  spirit  of  God 
has  revealed  of  these  eventful  times,  lest  the  language  of  Chidst 
to  the  Pharisees,  may  become  applicable  to  us — «  Ye  hypo- 
crites !  ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky  and  of  the  earth ; 
but  how  is  it,  that  (notwithstanding  all  your  light  and  know- 
ledge from  revelation)  ye  do  not  discern  tliis  time.*'  Luke, 
xii.  B6, 

We  w  ill  therefore  proceed  in  the  attempt,  to  collect  togeth- 
er what  may  be  yet  known  of  this  favoured,  though  sinful  and 
suffering  people,  once  so  dear  to  the  God  of  all  the  earth,  and 
w  ho  still  remain  a  standing  and  unanswerable  monument  and 
pooof  of  the  truth  of  prophecy  to  all  nations.  And  if  we  can 
do  no  more  than  call  the  attention  of  christians,  of  leai^ning 
and  leisure,  to  this  important  subject,  it  will  not  be  lost  labour, 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WESTc  81 


CHAPTER  IL 

tJ/i  enqairtj  into  the  question,  on  what  'part  of  the  globe  is  it  most 
Ukelij,  that  these  descendants  of  Israel  may  he  now  found,  aris- 
ing from  late  discoveries  and  facts,  that  have  not  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  civilized  world,  till  of  late  years. 

EVERY  quarter  of  the  world  lias  been  so  traversed  and 
explored  by  tlie  hardy  and  adventurous  seamen  of  modern 
Europe  and  America,  as  well  as  by  travellers  whose  curiosity 
and  indefatigable  labours,  have  scarcely  left  any  considera- 
ble tract  of  tlie  globe  imnoticed,  that  we  can  scarcely  pre- 
sume on  making  the  least  discovery  in  any  hitherto  unknown 
part  of  the  world.  We  must  look  to  the  histories  of  coun- 
tries already  known  to  tbe  geographer  and  traveller,  and 
apply  to  the  divine  scriptures  for  the  compass  which  is  to 
direct  our  course.  Hence  it  must  answer  to  the  following 
particulars — 

1.  It  must  be  a  country  to  the  north  and  west  from  Judea. 
Jeremiah,  iii.  17 — 18,  xxiii.  7 — 8.  Zechariah,  ii.  6. 

2.  It  must  be  a  far  country  from  Judea.  Isaiah,  xliii.  6— 
xlvi.  11,* 

*  Remember  the  former  things  of  old  tjme,  verily  I  am  God  and  none  else  ;  I 
am  Cod  and  there  is  none  like  unto  me.  From  the  beginning,  making  known  the 
end,  and  from  ancient  times  the  things  that  are  not  yet  done,  saying,  my  council 
shall  stand,  and  whatever  I  have  willed  I  will  effect.  Calling  from  the  east,  the 
eagle,  and  fi-om  a  land  far  distant  the  man  of  my  council.  As  I  have  spoken,  so 
will  I  bring  it  to  pass  ;  I  have  formed  the  design  and  I  will  execute  it.  Lowth'i^ 
translation. 

M 


S'Z  A    STAK    IN    THE    UEST. 

3.  It  must  answer  the  term,  from  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Isaiah,  xliii.  1 — 6. 

4*.  It  must  he  in  the  western  regions,  or  the  country  of  the 
going  down  of  the  sun.     Zecharia,  viii.  7. 

5.  It  must  he  a  land,  tliat  at  the  time  of  the  trihes  going  to, 
^\as  without  inhahitants,  and  free  from  heathen  nciglibours. 
2  Esdras,  xiii.  41. 

6.  It  must  he  beyond  the  seas  from  Palestine,  the  country 
to  which  part  of  them  are  to  return  in  ships.  Isaiah,  Ix.  9 — 
xvii.  2. 

The  scriptures  are  very  positive  in  four  of  the  above  par- 
ticulars, the  fifth  is  founded  on  the  text  from  2d  Esdras,  and 
although  it  is  not  pretended  that  tlie  apochryphal  books  bear 
any  comparison  as  to  divine  inspiration,  with  the  bible,  yet  as 
that  book  was  written  by  a  Jew,  somewhere  about  the  year 
100,  it  may,  as  has  already  been  observed,  be  nscd  as  evidence 
of  an  historic  fact,  equally  with  any  other  histoi'ian,  and  if  cor- 
roborated by  other  facts,  will  add  to  the  testimony. 

As  to  the  sixth  particular,  this  is  not  only  supported  by  the 
text,  but  it  is  the  opinion  of  that  great  and  judicious  writer,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Faber,  on  the  whole  representation  of  the  scriptures, 
who  certainly  deserves  the  attention  of  every  serious  christian. 
He  seems  \ery  positive  ^<  that  some  prevailing  maritime  pow- 
er of  faitliful  worshippers,  will  be  chiefly  instrumental  in  con- 
verting and  restoring  a  part  of  the  Jewish  nation.  This 
seems  to  be  declared  in  scripture,  more  than  once,  with  suffi- 
cient plainness."  <«  AVho  are  these  ?  like  a  cloud  they  fly, 
and  like  doves  to  their  holes.  Surely  the  Isles  shall  wait  for 
me,  and  the  sliips  of  Tarsliish,  among  the  first,  to  bring  thy 
sons  from  afar ;  their  silver  and  their  gold  with  them,  unto 


A   STAR    IN    THE    WEST.  83 

the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  unto  the  holy  one  of  Israel,  he- 
cause  he  hath  glorified  me."  Isaiah,  Ix.  8 — 9.  Again  it  is 
expressly  said,  they  are  to  he  gathered  from  the  coasts  of 
the  earth,  implying  that  they  were  to  have  scmie  conncctiim 
with  the  sea,  and  the  address  which  God  makes  to  them  puts 
it  out  of  douht.  "  Ho !  land  spreading  wide  the  shadow  of  thy 
wings,  which  are  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ciish^  or  Cuthai,  accus- 
tomed to  send  messengers  hy  sea,  even  in  Bulrush  vessels 
upon  the  surface  of  the  waters.  Go  swift  messengers  unto 
tlie  nation  dragged  away  and  plucked  ;  unto  a  people  wonder- 
ful from  the  heghming  hitherto  ;  a  nation  expecting,  expect- 
ing and  trampled  underfoot ;  whose  lands  the  rivers  have 
spoiled.  Isaiah,  xviii.  1 — 2,  At  that  season,  a  present  shall 
be  led  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts ;  a  people  dragged  away  and  pluck- 
ed ;  even  a  people  wonderful  from  the  beginning  hitherto  ;  a 
nation  expecting,  expecting  and  trampled  under  foot ;  whose 
land,  rivers  have  spoiled,  unto  the  place  of  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  Mount  Zion."  Isaiah,  xviii.  7.  Mr.  Faber 
has  given  a  paraphrase  of  part  of  the  foregoing  texts,  thus, 
(3d  vol.  94)  "  Go  swi^t  messengers,  unto  fe  nation,  long  appa- 
.  reiltly  forsaken  by  God  ;  a  nation  dragged  away  from  their 
own  country  and  plucked ;  a  nation  wonderful  from  tlieir 
beginning  hitherto  ;  a  nation  perpetually  expecting  their  pro- 
mised Messiah,  and  yet  trampled  under  foot ;  a  nation  whose 
land  the  symbolical  rivers  of  foreign  invaders  have  for  ages 
spoiled.  Go  swift  messengers !  You  who  by  your  skill  in  nav- 
igation, and  your  extensive  commerce  and  alliances,  are  so 
qualified  to  be  carriers  of  a  message  to  people  in  the  remotest 
countries  ;  go  with  God's  message  unto  a  nation  dragged  away ; 
to  the  dispersed  Jews  ;  a  nation  dragged  away  from  its  pi-o- 


8*  A    STAR   IN    THE    WJfiST. 

per  seat,  and  plucked  of  its  wealth  and  power ;  a  people  won- 
derful from  its  beginning  to  this  very  time  for  the  special  pro- 
vidence which  has  ever  attended  them  and  directed  their  for- 
tunes ;  a  nation  still  lingering  in  expectation  of  the  Messiah, 
who  so  long  since  came  and  was  rejected  by  them  and  now 
is  coining  again  in  glorij  ;  a  nation  universally  trampled  under 
foot ;  whose  land,  rivers,  armies  of  foreign  invaders,  the  Assy- 
rians, Babylonians,  Syromacedonians,  Romans,  Saracens,  and 
Turks,  have  over-run  and  depopulated."  Letter  on  Isa- 
iah, 18. 

*<  My  worshippers  beyond  the  river  Cush,  (which  must  be  to 
the  northward  and  westward  of  Jerusalem)  shall  bring  as  an 
oifering  to  me,  the  daughters  of  my  dispersion.'*  Zeph.  \\u 
10.  And  Zechariah  treating  on  the  same  subject,  says,  "  I 
will  hiss  for  tliem  (the  tribes  of  Epliraim  and  his  children, 
mentioned  in  the  former  verses)  for  I  have  redeemed  them  ; 
and  they  shall  increase  as  they  have  (heretofore)  increased. 
And  I  will  sow  them  among  the  people,  and  thtij  shall  remem- 
ber me  in  far  countries,  and  they  shall  live  with  their  cliildrcn 
and  turn  again.  And  I  will  bring  them  again  also  (that  is 
besides  those  from  far  countries)  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  gather'  them  out  of  Assyria,  and  I  will  bring  them  into 
the  land  of  Giliad  and  Lebanon,  and  place  shall  not  be  found 
for  them.  And  he  (that  is  Epliraim)  sliall  pass  through  the 
sea  with  affliction,  and  shall  smite  the  waves  in  the  sea,  and 
all  the  deeps  of  the  river  shall  dry  up,  and  the  pride  of  Assy-- 
ria  shall  be  brought  down,  and  the  sceptre  of  Egypt  shall  pass 
away,  and  I  will  strengthen  them  in  the  Lord,  and  they  sliall 
walk  up  and  down  in  his  name,  saith  the  Lord.'*  Zechariali, 
2i,  8-^12, 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  85 

Here  is  an  explicit  difFerence  made  between  the  return 
of  Judah  and  Ephraim,  that  is,  between  the  Jews  and  Israel- 
ites'—the latter  is  to  come  from  a  far  country — he  is  to  pass 
through  a  great  water,  or  over  the  seas,  or  both.  The  words 
here  made  use  of,  may  be  very  applicable,  to  people,  wlio  have 
rio  knowledge  or  experience  of  passing  over  the  sea  in  sliips, 
whose  sickness  is  generally  extremely  distressing. 

Mr.  Faber  supposes  that  the  land  spreading  wide  the  sha- 
dow of  her  wings,  may  be  some  maritime  nation,  the  sails  of 
whose  ships,  and  the  protection  given  by  them,  are  here  pro- 
phesied of.  He  seems  to  tliink,  this  may  refer  to  Great  Bri- 
tain, in  like  manner,  as  she  may  be  designated  by  Tai-shish, 
which  was  formerly  a  great  trading  and  maritime  country. 
Yet  he  tliinks  it  possible  it  may  refer  to  some  other  maritime 
nation — but  it  is  asked,  why  not  to  a  union  of  maritime  nations, 
on  so  important  and  difficult  an  undertaking. 

From  a  serious  consideration  of  all  the  foregoing  circum- 
stances, we  seem  naturally  led  to  have  recourse  to  the  late 
discovered  continent  of  America,  which  the  first  visitants 
found  filled  with  inhabitants,  and  though  called  savages,  dif- 
fered essentially  from  all  the  savages  ever  known  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  old  world  before.  In  the  first  place  they  resem- 
bled (considerably)  in  appearance,  the  people  of  the  oriental 
nations.  Mr.  Penn,  who  saw  and  communicated  witli  them 
in  a  particular  manner,  on  his  first  arrival  in  America,  while 
in  their  original,  uncontaminated  state,  before  they  were 
debased  and  ruined  by  their  connection  with  those  who  called 
tliemselves  civilized  and  christians,  was  exceedingly  struck 
with  their  appearance.  In  one  of  his  letters  to  his  friends  in 
England,  he  says,  « I  found  them  witii  like  countenance  with 


§6  A    STAR   IN    TKE    WEST. 

tlie  Jewish  race  ;  and  their  children  of  so  lively  a  resemblance 
i(}  them,  that  a  man  would  think  himself  in  Duke's-place  or 
Beriy-street,  in  London,  wlicn  he  seeth  them."  (Penn's 
AYorks,  2d  vol.  704,  year  16S2.)  They  wore  ear-rings  and 
nose  jewels  ;  bracelets  on  their  arms  and  legs ;  rings  on  their 
fingers ;  necklaces  made  of  highly  polished  shells  found  in 
their  rivers  and  on  their  coasts.  Their  females  tied  np  theii' 
hair  behind,  worked  bands  i-omid  their  heads,  and  ornamented 
them  with  shells  and  feathers,  and  are  fond  of  strings  of  beads 
round  several  parts  of  their  bodies.  They  use  shells  and  tur- 
key spui*s  round  the  tops  of  their  mocasins,  to  tinkle  like  lit- 
tle bells,  as  they  walk."  Isaiah  proves  this  to  have  been  the 
custom  of  the  Jewish  women,  or  something  much  like  it.  **  In 
that  day,  says  the  prophet,  the  Lord  will  take  away  the  bra- 
very of  their  tinkling  ornaments  about  their  feet,  and  their 
cauls,  and  their  round  tires  like  the  moon.  The  chains  and 
the  bracelets  and  the  muflers.  The  bonnets  and  the  orna- 
ments of  the  legs,  and  the  head-bands,  and  the  tablets,  and 
the  ear  rings ;  the  rings  and  the  nose  jewels."  Isaiah,  iii. 
18.  They  religiously  observed  certain  feasts,  and  feasts  very 
similar  to  those  enjoined  on  the  Hebrews,  by  Moses,  as  will 
hereinafter  more  particularly  be  shewn.  In  short,  many,  and 
indeed,  it  may  be  said,  most  of  the  learned  men,  who  did  pay 
any  particular  attention  to  these  natives  of  the  wilderness  at 
their  first  coming  among  tliem,  both  Englisli  and  Spaniards, 
were  struck  with  their  general  likeness  to  tlie  Jews.  The 
Indians  in  New-Jersey,  about  1681,  are  desciibed,  as  persons 
straight  in  their  limbs,  beyond  the  usual  proportion  in  most 
nations ;  very  seldom  crooked  or  deformed ;  their  features 
regular:  their  countenances  some  times  fierce,  in  common 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  87 

rather  resembling  a  Jew,  than  a  christian.  (Smith's  History 
of  New-Jersey,  14.) 

It  shall  now  be  our  business  to  collect  those  facts  in  tlieir 
history,  that  are  well  attested,  with  those  which  may  be  known 
of  them  from  personal  knowledge  of  men  of  character,  or 
from  their  present  mannei^,  customs  and  habits  ;  although  we 
are  well  advised,  and  it  should  be  constantly  borne  in  mind, 
tliat  the  corruption  of  both  principle  and  practice,  introduced 
amongst  them,  by  their  connection  with  Europeans,  has  so 
debased  their  morals  and  vitiated  all  their  powers  of  mind, 
that  they  are  quite  degenerated  from  their  ancestors. 

An  old  Charibbee  Indian,  in  a  very  early  day,  thus  address- 
ed one  of  the  white  people.  "  Our  people  are  become  almost 
as  bad  as  yours.  We  are  so  much  altered  since  you  came 
among  us,  that  we  hardly  know  ourselves,  and  we  think  it  is 
owing  to  so  melancholy  a  change,  that  hurricanes  ai*e  more 
frequent  than  formerly.  It  is  the  evil  spirit,  who  has  done  all 
this — who  has  taken  our  best  lands  from  us,  and  given  us  up 
to  the  dominion  of  christains.  Edward's  History  West-Indies, 
1  vol.  28.  And  yet  we  very  gravely  assert  that  we  have  bene- 
fited the  Indian  nations,  by  teaching  them  tlie  christian  reli- 
gion. 

The  Indians  have  so  degenerated,  that  they  cannot  at  this 
time  give  any  tolerable  account  of  the  origin  of  their  religious 
rites,  ceremonies  and  customs,  although  religiously  attached 
to  them  as  the  commands  of  the  great  spirit  to  their  forefatli- 
ers.  Suppose  a  strange  people  to  be  discovered,  before  wholly 
unknown  to  the  civilized  world,  and  an  enquiry  was  instituted 
Into  their  origin,  or  from  what  nation  they  had  sprung,  what 


88  A    STAR   IN   THE   AVEST. 

mode  of  examination  would  be  most  likelj  to  succeed  and  lead 
to  a  rational  solution  of  the  question  ? 

In  our  opinion,  a  strict  enquiry  into  the  following  particu- 
lars, would  be  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  this  yaluable 
purpose. 

Their  language. 
,  Their  received  traditions. 

Their  established  customs  and  habits. 

Their  known  religious  rites  and  ceremonies. 

And,  lastly,  their  public  worship  and  religious  opinions  and 
prejudices. 

Therefore  to  commence  this  enquiry,  with  some  degree  of 
method,  we  shall  confine  ourselves  to  these  five  particulars, 
as  far  as  we  can  find  well  authenticated  data  to  proceed  upon. 


A  STAR  m  THE   WEST.  80 


CHAPTER  III. 


Jin  enquiry  into  the  language  of  the  Ameiican  Indians ^ 

WHEN  we  consider  how  soon  the  family  of  Noah,  scattered 
throughout  Asia,  Africa  and  Europe,  lost  almost  every  trace 
of  their  original  language,  so  far  at  least,  as  not  to  be  easily 
understood  by  the  nations  into  which  they  became  divided — 
established  different  manners  and  customs  peculiar  to  each 
Nation  or  people — and  finally  formed  for  themselves  respective- 
ly, such  absurd  and  wholly  differing  modes  of  religious  wor- 
ship, as  well  as  principles  and  doctrines,  and  finally  became, 
at  different  times,  to  bear  the  most  inveterate  hatred  to  each 
otlier,  we  could  no  longer,  at  this  remote  period,  hope  for  much 
success  in  looking  for  convincing  testimony  to  prove  the  fact 
very  satisfactorily,  though  we  should  stumble  on  the  actual 
descendants  of  those  children  of  Abraham,  the  lost  ten  tribes 
of  Israel,  after  so  long  a  dispersion  and  entii^e  separation  from 
the  rest  of  tlie  world.  And  if  we  do  find  any  convincing  tes- 
timony on  this  subject,  we  must  attribute  it  to  the  over-ruling 
providence  of  that  God  who  is  wonderful  in  council,  and  true 
to  all  his  promises.  Hear  Sir  William  Jones,  whose  author- 
ity will  have  great  influence  on  all  who  know  his  character. 
In  his  discourse  on  the  origin  of  the  East  Indians  or  Hindoos, 
Arabs,  Tartars,  &c.  he  says,  "hence  it  follows,  that  the 
only  family  after  the  flood,  established  itself  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Irauy  now  Persia.     That  as  the  family  multiplied, 

they  were  divided  into  three  distinct  branches,  each  retaining 

N 


90  A   STAK  IN   TUB   VTEST. 

little,  at  first,  and  loosing  the  whole  by  degrees,  of  their  com- 
mon primary  language ;  but  agreeing  severally  on  new 
expressions  for  new  ideas.'* 

Father  Charlevoix,  a  famous  French  writer,  who  came  over 
to  Canada  very  early,  and  paid  particular  attention  to  the 
Indian  natives,  says,  "that  the  only  means  (which  others 
have  neglected)  to  come  at  the  original  of  the  Indian  natives, 
are  the  knowledge  of  their  languages,  and  comparing  thenj 
with  those  of  the  other  hemisphere,  that  are  considered  as 
primitives.  Manners  very  soon  degenerate  by  means  of  com- 
merce with  foreigners,  and  by  mixture  of  several  nations  unit- 
ing in  one  body — and  particularly  so,  amongst  wandering 
tribes,  living  without  principle,  laws,  education  or  civil  gov- 
ernment, especially  where  absolute  want  of  the  necessaries  of 
life  takes  place,  and  the  necessity  of  doing  without,  causes 
their  names  and  uses  to  peris-h  together.  From  tlieir  dialects, 
we  may  ascend  to  the  mother  tongues  themselves.  These 
are  distinguished  by  being  more  nervous  than  those  derived 
from  them,  because  they  are  formed  from  nature,  and  they 
contain  a  greater  number  of  words,  imitating  the  things  where- 
of they  are  the  signs.  Hence  he  concludes  that  if  those  char- 
acteristical  marks  which  are  peculiar  to  any  oriental  nation 
are  found  in  the  Indian  languages,  we  cannot  reasonably  doubt 
of  their  being  truly  original,  and  consequently,  that  the  peo- 
ple who  speak  them,  have  passed  over  fmm  that  hemisphere,*' 

This  then  must  be  an  enquiry  into  facts,  the  investigation  of 
which,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  must  be  whoUy  founded 
on  well  authenticated  accounts  recorded  by  \\Titers  of  charac- 
ter, who  may  be  consulted  on  this  occasion  ;  or  from  the 
information  of  such  persons  who  liave  been  long  domesticated 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  91 

with  particular  nations,  suspected  to  have  originated  fi-om  the 
other  hemisphere  ;  or  of  persons  wliose  occupation  or  mode  of 
life  has  led  them  to  visit  parts  of  the  globe,  the  most  likely  to 
afford  some  light  on  this  abstruse  subject.  And  even  here 
our  assistance  cannot  be  expected  to  be  great ;  but  whatever 
we  are  able  to  discover,  we  will  put  together,  in  hopes  that 
by  pui*suing  this  enquiry,  though  we  should  arise  no  farther 
than  bare  rudiments,  the  curiosity  of  the  more  learned  and 
persevering,  may  produce  some  further  and  more  adequate 
discovery,  to  enlighten  mankind.  The  difficulties  attending 
this  attempt  must  be  great.  The  Indian  languages,  having 
never  hor^v  reduced  to  any  certainty  by  letters,  must  have 
been  expf)scd  to  great  changes  and  misconceptions.  They 
are  still  a  wandering  people,  having  no  knowledge  of  gram- 
mar or  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  No  monuments  of  antiquity 
— no  mechanical  trades — oppressed  and  distressed  on  all 
hands — driven  from  their  original  residence  into  a  wilder- 
ness, and  even  there  not  suffered  to  remain  stationary ;  but 
still  driven  from  place  to  plaee — debased  and  enervated  by 
the  habitual  use  of  intoxicating  spirits,  afforded  them  by  tra- 
ders for  the  double  purpose  of  profit  and  imjwsition — vitia- 
ted by  the  awful  example  of  wiiite  people,  we  are  at  this  day 
confined  to  the  few  traces  of  their  original  language,  their 
religion,  rites  and  customs,  and  a  few  common  traditions  that 
may  yet  with  labour  be  collected,  to  form  our  opinions  upon. 
The  Indian  languages  in  general,  are  very  copious  and  expres- 
sive, considering  the  narrow  sphere  in  which  they  move ; 
their  ideas  being  few  in  comparison  with  civilized  nations. 
They  have  neither  cases  nor  declensions.     They  have  few  or 


93  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST, 

no  prepositions — tliey  remedy  this,  by  affixes  and  suffixes,  and 
their  words  are  invariably  the  same  in  both  numbers. 

All  this,  if  the  writer's  information  be  correct,  is  very  simi- 
lar to  the  Hebrew  language.  He  has  been  informed  from 
good  autliority,  and  the  same  is  confirmed  by  a  writer  well 
acquainted  with  the  subject,  that  there  is  no  language  known 
in  Europe,  except  the  Hebrew,  without  prepositions ;  that  is, 
in  separate  and  express  words.  The  Indians  have  all  the 
other  parts  of  speech,  except  as  above.  They  have  no  com- 
parative or  superlative  degrees  of  comparison  more  than  the 
Hebrews,  They  form  tlie  last,  by  some  leading  vowel  of  the 
divine  name  of  the  great  spiritf  added  to  the  word.  It  is 
observed  by  some  Jewish,  as  well  as  christian  intei^reters, 
that  the  several  names  of  God,  are  often  given  as  epithets  by 
tlie  Hebrews  to  those  things  which  are  the  greatest,  the 
strongest,  and  the  best  of  their  kind,  as  ruach  elohim,  a  migh-. 
ty  wind,  1  vol.  Stackhouse's  History  of  tlie  Bible,  page  8,  in  n 
note.  Both  languages  are  very  rhetorical,  nervous  and  em- 
phatical.  Those  public  speeches  of  the  Indians,  that  the  wri- 
ter of  these  memoirs  has  heard  or  read,  have  been  oratorical 
and  adorned  with  strong  metaphors  in  correct  language,  and 
greatly  abound  in  allegory.  About  the  year  1684,  tlie  gov- 
ernor of  New- York,  sent  an  accredited  agent  to  the  Ononda- 
gos,  on  a  dispute  that  was  likely  to  arise  with  the  French, 
The  agent  (one  Arnold)  behaved  himself  very  haughtily 
towards  the  Indians,  at  delivering  his  commission.  One  of 
the  chiefs  then  answered  him  in  a  strain  of  Indian  eloquence, 
in  which  he  said  among  other  things,  "  I  have  two  arms — I 
extend  the  one  towards  Montreal,  there  to  support  the  tree  of 
peace  5  and  the  other  towards  Corlaer,  (the  governor  of  New- 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  93 

loi'k)  who  has  long  heen  my  brother.  Ononthis  (the  governor 
of  Canada)  has  been  these  ten  years  my  father.  Corlaer  has 
been  long  my  brother,  with  my  own  good  will,  but  neither  tlie 
one  or  the  other  is  my  master.  He  who  made  iJie  worlds  gave 
me  this  land  I  possess.  /  am  free.  I  respect  them  both ;  but 
HO  man  has  a  right  to  command  me,  and  none  ought  to  take 
amiss,  my  endeavouring  all  I  can,  that  this  land  should  not 
be  troubled.  To  conclude,  I  can  no  longer  delay  repairing  to 
my  father,  who  has  taken  the  pains  to  come  to  my  very  gate, 
and  who  has  no  terms  to  propose,  but  what  are  reasonable." 
1  Wynne's  History  America,  402 — 3. 

At  a  meeting  held  with  the  President,  General  Washing- 
ton, in  1790,  to  prevail  upon  him  to  relax  the  terms  of  a  trea- 
ty of  peace,  made  with  commissioners  under  the  old  confede- 
ration, relative  to  an  unreasonable  cession  of  a  large  part  of 
their  country,  which  they  had  been  rather  persuaded  to  make 
to  the  United  States,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  and  which  after- 
wards they  sincerely  repented. of,  Cmmplant  who  had  long 
been  a  steady  friend  to  the  United  States,  in  the  most  perilous 
part  of  the  revolutionary  war,  delivered  a  long,  persuasive 
and  able  speech,  which  the  writer  of  this  preserved,  and  has 
now  before  him,  and  from  which  are  extracted  the  following 
sentences,  as  a  proof  of  the  above  assertion.  "  Father,  when 
your  army  entered  tlie  country  of  the  six  nations,  we  called 
you  tlie  town  destroyer,  and  to  this  day,  when  your  name  is 
heard,  our  women  look  behind  them  and  turn  pale  ;  our  chil- 
dren cling  close  to  the  necks  of  their  motliers ;  but  our  coun- 
cillors and  warriors  being  men,  cannot  be  afraid ;  but  their 
hearts  are  grieved  by  the  fears  of  our  women  and  children, 
and  desire  that  it  may  be  buried  so  deep,  as  to  be  heard  of  no 


9i  A    STAR   IN   THE    AVEST, 

more.  Father,  vre  will  not  conceal  from  you,  that  the  great 
spirit  and  not  man,  has  preserved  Complant  from  the  hands  of 
his  own  nation.  For  they  ask  continually,  where  is  the  land, 
on  which  our  children  and  their  children,  are  to  lie  down 
upon  ?  You  told  us,  say  they,  that  a  line  drawn  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Lake  Ontario,  would  mark  it  forever  on  the  east ; 
and  a  line  running  from  Beaver  Creek  to  Pennsylvania,  would 
mark  it  on  the  west.  But  we  see  that  it  is  not  so.  For  first 
one  and  then  another  comes  and  takes  it  away  by  order  of 
that  people,  who  you  told  us,  promised  to  secure  it  to  us  forever. 
Cornplant  is  silent,  for  he  has  nothing  to  answer.  When  the 
sun  goes  down,  Coriiplant  opens  his  heart  before  the  great 
spirit;  and  earlier  than  the  sun  appears  again  upon  the  hills, 
lie  gives  thanks  for  his  protection  during  the  night,  for  he  feels, 
that  among  men  become  desperate  by  the  injuries  they  sus- 
tain, it  is  God  only  that  can  preserve  him.  Complant  loves 
peace— all  he  had  in  store,  he  has  given  to  those,  who  have 
been  robbed  by  your  people,  lest  they  should  plunder  the  inno- 
cent, to  repay  themselves. 

<^  The  whole  season  which  others  havte  employed  in  providing 
for  tlieir  families,  Cornplant  has  spent  in  endeavors  to  preserve 
peace,  and  at  this  moment,  his  wife  and  children  are  lying  on 
the  ground,  and  in  want  of  food. — His  heart  is  in  pain  for  them ; 
but  he  perceives,  that  the  great  spirit^  will  try  his  firmness,  in 
doing  what  is  right.  Father !  innocent  men  of  our  nation  are 
killed  one  after  another,  though  of  our  best  families;  but  none 
of  your  people,  who  have  committed  these  murders,  have  been 
punished.  We  recollect  that  you  did  promise  to  punish  those 
who  should  kill  our  people ;  and  we  ask,  was  it  intended  that 
your  people  should  kill  the  Seneca's,  and  not  only  remain  un- 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  95 

punished,  but  be  protected  from  the  next  of  kin,  Fatlier !  these 
to  us  are  great  things.  We  knotw  that  you  are  very  strong — 
JFe  have  heard  that  ym  are  wise,  but  we  shall  wait  to  hear  your 
answer  to  this,  tJiat  we  may  know  that  you  arejust,^' 

Adair  records  a  sentence  of  a  speech  of  an  Indian  captain 
to  his  companions,  in  his  oration  for  war.  Near  the  conclusion 
of  his  harangue,  he  told  the  warriors,  "  he  feelingly  knew  that 
their  guns  were  burning  in  their  hands — their  tomahawks 
were  thirsty  to  drink  the  blood  of  their  enemy,  and  their  trusty 
arrows  were  impatient  to  be  upon  the  wing ;  and  lest  delay 
should  burn  their  hearts  any  longer,  he  gave  them  the  cool  re- 
freshing word,  *'join  the  holy  ark,"  and  away  to  cut  off  the  de- 
voted enemy." 

But  a  speech  made  by  Logan,  a  famous  Indian  chief,  about 
the  year  1775,  was  never  exceeded  by  Demosthenes  or  Cicero* 
In  revenge  for  a  murder  committed  by  some  unknown  Indians, 
a  party  of  our  people  fired  on  a  canoe  loaded  with  women  and 
children,  and  one  man,  all  of  whom  happened  to  belong  to  the 
family  of  Logan,  who  had  been  long  the  staunch  friend  of  the 
Americans,  and  then  at  perfect  peace  with  them.  A  war  im- 
mediately ensued,  and  after  much  blood-shed  on  both  sides, 
the  Indians  were  beat,  and  sued  for  peace.  A  treaty  was 
held,  but  Logan  disdainfully  refused  to  be  reckoned  among 
the  suppliants;  but  to  prevent  any  disadvantage  from  his  ab- 
sence, to  his  nation,  he  sent  the  following  talk,  to  be  delivered 
to  lord  Dunmore  at  the  treaty.  "  I  appeal  to  any  white  man 
to  say,  if  he  ever  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  lie 
gave  him  not  meat — if  ever  he  came  cold  and  naked,  and  Lo- 
gan clothed  him  not.  During  the  course  of  tlte  last  long  and 
bloody  war.  Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  for 


96  A    STAR   IN    THE    ^VEST. 

peace.  Such  was  his  love  for  the  white  men,  tliat  my  couir-^ 
trymen  pointed  as  they  passed,  and  said,  Logan  is  the  friend  of 
white  men,  I  had  thought  to  have  lived  with  you,  but  for  the 
injuries  of  one  man.  Colonel  — —  the  last  spring,  in  cold 
blood,  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan ^ 
not  sparing  even  my  woman  and  children.  There  runs  not  a 
drop  of  his  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  living  creature.  This 
called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought  it.  I  have  killed 
many.  I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance.  For  my  country, 
I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do  not  hai^bor  a  thought 
that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will 
not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn 
for  Logan  ?  No,  not  one.*' 

Great  allowance  must  be  made  for  translations  into  another 
lauguage,  especially  by  illiterate  and  ignorant  interjn'eters. 
This  destroys  the  force  as  well  as  beauty  of  the  original. 

A  writerTAdaii^  who  has  had  the  best  opportunities  to  know 
tlie  true  idiom  of  their  language,  by  a  residence  among  them 
for  forty  years,  has  taken  great  pains  to  shew  the  similarity 
of  tlie  Hebrew,  w  itli  the  Indian  languages,  both  in  their  roots 
and  general  construction;  and  insists  that  many  of  the  Indian 
words,  to  this  day,  are  purely  Hebrew,  notwithstanding  their 
exposure  to  the  loss  of  it  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  make  the 
preservation  of  it  so  far,  little  less  than  miraculous. 

Let  any  one  compare  the  old  original  Hebrew,  spoken  with 
so  much  purity  by  the  Jews  before  the  Babylonish  captivity, 
with  tliat  spoken  by  the  same  people  on  their  return,  after  the 
comparatively  short  space  of  seventy  years,  and  he  will  find 
it  had  become  a  barbarous  mixture  of  the  Hebrew  and  Chal- 
daic  languages,  so  aB  not  to  be  uiiderstood  by  an  ancient 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  97 

Hebrew,  and  in  a  great  measure,  has  continued  so  to  this  day. 
We  say  such  a  consideration  will  show  an  almost  miraculous 
intervention  of  Divine  Providence,  shouW  a  clear  trace  of  the 
original  language  be  discoverable  among  the  natives  of  our 
wilderness  at  this  day.     "  Their  words  and  sentences  are  ex- 
pressive, concise,  emphatical,  sonorous  and  bold.''    Father  \ 
Charlevoix,  in  liis  history  of  Canada,  paid  more  attention  to  j 
the  Indian  languages  than  most  travellers  before  him,  arid  | 
indeed  he  had  greater  opportunities,  and  was  a  man  of  learn- 
ing, and  considerable  abilities.     He  says,  "  that  the  JHgonquin 
and  Huron  languages,  have,  between  them,  that  of  almost  all 
the  savage  nations  of  Canada  we  are  acquainted  with.     Who- 
ever should  well  understand  both,  might  travel  without  an. 
interpreter,  more  than  fifteen  hundred  leagues  of  country, 
and  make  himself  understood  by  an  hundred  different  nations, 
who  have  each  their  peculiariongue.  ^/Ihe  Mgonquin  especial- 
ly has  a  vast  extend;,  f  It  begins  at  Acadia  and  the  Gulph  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  takes  a  compass  of  twelve  hundred  leagues^ 
twining  from  the  south-east  by  the  north,  to  the  south-west. 
They  say  also,  that  the  Wolf  Nation,  or  the  Mohegans,  and 
the  greatest  part  of  the  Indians  of  New-England  and  Virginia, 
speak  the  Algonquin  dialects.     The  Huron  language  has  a 
copiousness,  an  energy,  and  a  sublimity,  perhaps  not  to  be 
found  in  any  of  tlie  finest  languages  JSCi.JknQ^v  of;  and  those 
whose  native  tongue  it  is,  though  now  but  a  handful  of  men,  I 
have  such  an  elevationof  soul,  as  agrees  much  better  with  the 
majesty  of^ieir  language,  than  with  the  state  to  which  they 
are  reduced.     Some  have  fancied  they  foundj-  similarity  with 
thejiebrew,  others  have  thought  it  had  the  same  origin  with 
the  Greek."    "The  Algonquin  language  has  not  so  much 


98  A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST. 

force  as  the  Huron ;  but  has  more  sweetness  and  elegance* 
Both  have  a  richness  of  expression,  a  variety  of  turns,  a  pro- 
priety of  terms,  a  regularity  w  hich  astonishes— but  what  is 
more  surprising,  is,  that  among  these  barbarians,  who  never 
study  to  speak  well,  and  who  never  had  the  use  of  writing, 
there  is  never  introduced  a  bad  word,  an  improper  term,  or  a 
vicious  construction.    And  even  thebcliildreii  preserve.^^ 
the  purity  of  the  language  in  their  common  discourse.     On  the 
other  hand,  the  manner  in  which  they  animate  all  they  say, 
leaves  no  i-oom  to  doubt  of  their  comprehending  all  the  worth 
of  their  expressions,  and  all  the  beauty  of  their  language.'* 
j       Mr.  Golden,  who  wrote  the  History  of  the  Wars  of  the  Five 
I  Nations,  about  the  yeai*  1750,  and  was  a  man  of  considerable 
\  note,  speaking  of  the  language  of  those  nations  says,  "  they  are 
» very  nice  in  the  turn  of  their  expressions,  and  that  a  few  of 
them  are  so  far  masters  of  their  language,  as  never  to  offend 
the  ears  of  their  Indian  auditory  by  an  unpolite  expression. 
They  have,  it  seems,  a  certain  urbanity  or  atticism  in  their 
language,  of  which  the  common  ears  are  very  sensible,  though 
only  their  great  speakers  attain  to  it.     They  are  so  given  to 
speech-making,  that  their  common  compliments  to  any  person 
they  respect,  at  meeting  or  parting,  are  made  in  harangues. 
They  have  a  few  radical  words,  but  they  compound  them  with- 
out end.     By  this  their  language  becomes  sufficiently  copious, 
and  leaves  room  for  a  good  deal  of  art  to  please  a  delicate  ear. 
Their  language  abounds  with  gutturals  and  strong  aspirations, 
which  make  it  very  sonorous  and  bold.    Their  speeches  abound 
\  with  metaphors,  after  the  manner  of  the  eastern  nations."    It 
jshouldbe  noted,  that  Mr.jColden,  though  a  sensible  man,  and 
jof  excellent  character,  coidd  not  speak  theii'  language,  and 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  9l^ 

not  having  any  considerable  communication  with  them,  took 
his  information  from  others. 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  of  Connecticut,  son 
of  the  late  President  Edwards,  who  was  a  man  of  great  celeb- 
rity, as  a  well  read,  pious  divine,  and  of  considerable  erudi- 
tion, was  intimately  associated  with  the  Indians _a,t  gtock- 
bridge,  of  the  Mohegan  tribe  in  that  state,  from  the  age  of  six 
years.  He  understood  their  language  equally  with  his  mother 
tongue.  He  also  had  studied  that  of  the  Mohawks,  having 
resided  in  their  nation  about  six  months  for  that  purpose.  He 
informs  us  that  the  name  MoJwgan  is  a  corruption  of  Miikke- 
kaneaWf  arising  from  the  English  pronunciation.  This  is  a 
very  common  thing,  and  occasions  much  confusion,  and  great 
difficulties,  in  tracing  the  languages  of  the  different  tribes. 
For  we  have  not  only  to  contend  with  a  different  pronuncia- 
tion and  spelling  of  both  English  and  French,  but  the  corrup- 
tion and  ignorance  of  interpreters  and  tradei's,  especially  in 
an  early  day;  and  also  the  different  modes  of  writing  the  same 
word  by  different  people,  arising  from  their  different  concep- 
tions of  the  word  as  pronounced  by  tlie  Indians.*  As  for  in- 
stance, in  the  same  words  by  the  English  and  French — 
English.  Frevch. 

Owenagunges.  Abenaguies. 

Maques.  Aniez. 

Odistastaglieks.  Mascoaties. 

Makihander.  Mourigan. 

*  The  different  sounds  given  by  different  tribes  to  the  same  letters,  is  also  a 
source  of  difficulty.  Those  who  write,  often  use  the  letter  &,  where  the  sound  is 
oh,  so  that  owoh  is  used  in  the  Mohegan  where  a  or  au  is  used  in  other  languages, 
as  Moquoh  for  Mauquah,a  bear.  The  sound  of  these  two  are  alike,  when  spokea 
hj  an  Indian.    The  e  final,  is  never  sounded  in  any  word,  but  a  monosyllable. 


100  ▲   SlJLE    IN    THX    \*EST. 

Enpish,  FrtiicJi. 

Oneydoes.  Oiiejonts. 

Utawawas.  Outa\nes. 

Todericks.  Tateras. 

SataDa*s.  Shaononoos. 

The  Mc^gan  language  was  spoken  bj  all  the  vanoos 
tribes  of  New-En^aod.  ^lanj  of  the  tribes  had  a  different 
dialect,  but  the  language  was  radieadlj  the  same.  Mr^gikit^ 
caUedthe  Indian  Apostk^  who  was  among  the  first  setfl^rs  of 
MassadmsettSy  and  died  in  169i.  trandated  the  bible  into 
Indian^  which  is  firand  to  be  in  a  partienlar  toleet  of  the  Mo- 
hegan  language.  Dr.  Edwards  says  it  shears  to  be  much 
more  extcnsiTe  tiian  an j  other  language  in  NcNrth-Amniea. 
Tlic  language  of  ^  DdawarrSn  in  PennsylYania^  of  flie  Pcwoft- 
soofe,  bordering  on  Nova-Scotia,  of  the  JbtMams  qfSL  Fnads^  in 
Canada,  cf  the  SkmeaMat^mkfbe  Ohio,  and  of  the  CMpptvaSy 
at  file  miwdward  rfy^y,  Hnwin^  were  aD  radicallT  the  same 
with  flic  Jftteaw.  The  same  is  said  of  the  Ottorwas^  ^i)ai^ 
takes.  Mantes,  Memamems,  MssUagas,  8tadae$^  OOa^g^mUs, 
KiBisfmges,  Jiipt^ms,  Ji^mkims,  Whuui^ots,  &£. 

Dr.  Edwards  asserts,  tiiat  lor  the  pronouns  common  in  other 
lawgnagpsj  thcT  cxpress  the  {Honoons  both  substantiTc  and 
adfeetrre,  by  affixes  or  letters,  of  srllables  added  at  the  begin- 
nings «r  ends,  or  both,  of  their  nouns.  Inth^p^jjticular,  the 
structure  of  their  language  enneides  with  that  ^Ifiei  fUehiipu-. 
in  an  instance  in  which  the  Hebrew  differs  from  all  the  lan- 
guages €i  Eun^,  ancient  and  modem,  \%ith  this  only  differ- 
enee,  tiiat  the  Hebrews  always  joined  the  affixes  to  the  ends 
of  the  words,  whereas  the  Indians,  in  prowmns  of  the  singular 
nnidKr,  prefix  the  Irtter  or  s^toMe;  but  is  the  plural  nuion 


1 


A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST.  101 

ber,  they  add  others  as  suffixes.  Also  as  the  word  is  in- 
creased, they  change  and  transpose  the  vowels,  as  in  tmohhe^ 
can,  an  hatchet ;  nd^imhecan^  my  hatchet :  the  o  is  changed 
into  11,  and  transposed  after  the  manner  of  the  Hehrews; 
likewise  in  some  instances,  the  t  is  changed  into  d. 

Besides  what  has  heen  observed  concerning  prefixes  and 
suffixes,  there  is  a  remarkable  analogy,  says  Dr.  Edwards, 
between  some  words  of  the  Mohegan  language,  and  the  cor- 
respondent words  in  the  Hebrew.  In  the  Mohegan  niah  is  L 
In  Hebrew  it  is  ani,  which  is  the  two  syllables  of  niah  trans- 
posed. Keah,  thou  or  thee.  The  Hebrews  use  Ka  the  suffix. 
Vwoli,  is  this  man,  or  this  thing;  very  analagous  to  the  He- 
brew Hu,  or  Huah,  ipse.  J^ecaiinuh  is  we :  in  Hebrew  it  is 
nachnu  or  anachnu.  In  Hebrew  ni  is  the  suffix  for  me,  or 
the  first  person.  In  the  Mohegan,  n,  or  ne,  is  prefixed  to  do- 
note  the  first  person,  as  nmeetseh,  or  nimeetseh,  I  eat.  In 
Hebrew  k  or  ka,  is  the  suffix  for  the  second  person,  and  is 
indifferently  either  a  pronoun,  substantive  or  adjective.  K  or 
ka,  has  the  same  use  in  the  Mohegan  language  as  kmeetseh  or 
kameetseh,  thou  catest.  Knish,  thy  hand.  In  Hebrew  the 
vau,  and  the  lettej  ii  and  hu,  are  the  suffixes  for  he  or  them. 
In  the  Indian  the  same  is  expressed  by  u,  or  uxv,  and  by  oo, 
as  in  uduhwhunnw,  I  love  him.  Pumissoo,  he  walketh.  In 
Hebrew,  the  suffix  to  express  our,  or  us,  is  nu.  In  Mohegan, 
it  is  nuh,  as  noghnuh,  our  father.     Nmeetsclmuh,  we  eat,  &c. 

To  elucidate  this  subject  still  farther,  a  list  of  a  few  words 
in  the  different  Indian  dialects  shall  be  added,  with  the  same 
wordsi  in  Hebrew  and  Chaldaick. 


102 


A  STAR  IN  THE  WEST. 


English, 

CJuirihbee. 

Creeks, 

MoJwgan, 

and  Northern 

Hebrew. 

His  wife 

Liani 

l^anguages. 

Li  bene 

My  yv\k 

Yene-nori 

Hene  herranni 

Come  hither 

Hace-yete 

Aca-ati  (Samari« 
tan) 

The  hearens 

Chemim 

Shemim 

Jehovah 

Jocanna 

Y.  He.  Ho.  wah 

Jehovah 

Woman 

Ishto 

Ishto 

Man  or  chief 

Ish 

Ishte 

Ish 

I 

Niah 

Ani,  the  2  sylla- 
bles transposed 
as  alini 

Thou  or  thee 

Keah 

Ka 

This  man 

Uwoh 

Huah 

We 

Necaunuh 

Nachnu 

Assembly  or 
walled  house 

Kurbet 

Guir,  or  gra  bit 

Kecklaee  or 
collar 

Enca 

Ong 

My  necklace 

Yene  kali 

Vongali 

Wood 
My  skin 

Hue 

Nora 

Oa  (Chaldaic) 
Ourni 

lam  sick 

Nane  guaete 

Nanceheti 

Good  be  to  you 

Haleatibou 

Ye  hali  ettuboa 

To  blow 

Phoubac 

Phouhe 

Roof  of    the  Toubana  ora 
house 

Debona  our 

Go  thy  way 

Bayou  boorkaa 

Boua  Bouak 

Eat 

Baika 

Bge  Chaldaic 

To  eat 

Aika 

Akl       do. 

The  nose 

Nichiri 

Neheri 

Give  me 

Natoni  boman 

Natoui  bamen 

nourishment* 

The  great  first 

Yo  hewah 

Jehovah 

cause 

♦  Edward's  West-Indies. 


A  STAR  IN  THE  WEST. 


103 


English,      Charihbee, 

Creeks, 

MohegaUf 

and  Northern 
Languages. 

Hebrew, 

Praise  the  first 

Halleluwali 

Hallelujah 

cause 

Father 

Abba 

Abba 

Now,  the  pres- 

Na 

Na 

ent  time 

Very   hot,  or 

Heru,  hara,  or 

Hara  hara 

bitter   upon 

hala 

me 

To  pray 

Phale 

Phalac 

The  hind  parts 

Kesh 

Kish 

One  who  kills 

Abe,      derived 

Abel 

another 

from      Abele 
Gruf 

The  war  name 

Noabe,       com- 

who kiUs  a 

pounded      of 

rambling  en- 

Noah &  Abe 

emy 

Canaan 

Kenaai 

Canaan 

Wife 

Awah 

Eve  or  eweh 

Winter 

Kora 

Cora 

Another  name 

Ale 

Ale  or  alohim 

for  God 

Do 

lennois* 

lannonf 

Indians  of    Pe 

- 

nobscot 

Arrarat,a  high 

A.rrarat,  a  high  Arrarat,  a  hi| 

mountain 

mountain. 

mountain 

As  the  writer  of  this  does  not  understand  either  the  Hebrew 
or  Indian  languages,  so  as  to  be  a  judge  of  their  true  idioms  or 
spelling,  he  would  not  carry  his  comparisons  of  one  language 
with  the  other,  too  far.  Yet  he  cannot  well  avoid  mentioning, 
merely  as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  that  the  Mohawks,  in  confed- 
eracy with  the  Five  Nations,  as  subsisting  at  the  first  arrival 

♦  Barlow. 

"f  Litterally  he  shall  be  called  a  son.    Christian  Observer  for  June  1813,  p  349. 


104  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

of  the  Europeans  in  America,  were  considered  as  the  law- 
givers, or  tlie  interpreters  of  duty,  to  the  other  tribes.  Nay, 
this  was  so  great,  that  all  paid  obedience  to  their  advice. 
They  considered  themselves  as  supreme,  or  first  among  the 
rest.  Mr.  Golden  says,  that  he  had  been  told  by  old  men  in 
New-England,  that  when  their  Indians  were  at  war,  formerly, 
witli  the  Mohawks,  as  soon  as  one  appeared,  their  Indians 
raised  a  cry  from  hill  to  hill,  a  Mohawk !  a  Mohaw^k !  Upon 
which  all  fled  like  sheep  before  a  wolf,  without  attempting  to 
make  the  least  resistance.  And  that  all  the  nations  around 
them,  have  for  many  years,  entirely  submitted  to  their  advice, 
and  pay  them  a  yearly  tribute  of  w  ampum.  The  tributary 
nations  dare  not  make  w  ar  or  peace,  without  the  consent  of 
the  Mohawks.  Mr.  Golden  has  given  a  speech  of  the  Mo- 
hawks, in  answer  to  one  from  the  governor  of  Virginia,  coin- 
plaining  of  the  other  confederate  nations,  which  shows  the 
Mohawks  superiority  over  them,  and  the  mode  in  which  they 
corrected  their  misdoings.  Now  it  seems  very  remarkable, 
that  the  Hebrew  woi'd  Mhhokek,  spelled  so  much  like  the 
Indian  word,  means  a  law-giver,  (or  leges  interpres)  or  a 
superior. 

Blind  chance  could  not  have  directed  so  great  a  number  of 
remote  and  warring  savage  nations  to  fix  on,  and  unite  in  so 
nice  a  religious  standai'd  of  speech,  and  even  grammatical  con- 
struction of  language,  where  there  was  no  knowledge  of  letters 
or  syntax.  For  instance.  A,  oo,  E  A,  is  a  strong  religious  Indian 
emblem,  signifying,  I  climb ,  ascend^  or  remove  to  another  place 
of  residence.  It  jwiuts  to  A-no-wah,  the  first  person  singular, 
and  0  E  A,  or  Yah,  He,  Wah,  and  implies  putting  themselves 
under  the  divine  patronage.     The  begi)ming  of  that  most 


A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST.  105 

sacred  symbol,  is  by  studious  skill,  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  tlie  power  of  letters,  placed  twice,  to  prevent  them  from 
being  applied  to  the  sacred  name,  for  vain  purposes,  or  crea« 
ted  things. 

Though  they  have  lost  tlie  true  meaning  of  their  religious 
emblems,  except  wliat  a  very  few  of  the  more  intelligent  tra- 
ders revive  in  the  retentive  memories  of  the  old  inquisitive 
magi,  or  beloved  man;  yet  tradition  directs  them  to  apply 
them  properly.  They  use  many  plain  religious  emblems  of 
the  divine  name,  as  Y,  0,  he,  wah — Yah  and  Ale,  and  these 
are  the  roots  of  a  prodigious  number  of  words,  through  their 
various  dialects.  It  is  worthy  of  remembrance,  that  two 
Indians,  who  belong  to  far  distant  nations,  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  each  other's  language,  except  from  the  general  idiom, 
will  intelligibly  converse  together,  and  contract  engagements 
without  any  interpreter,  in  such  a  surprising  manner,  as  is 
scarcely  credible.  In  like  manner  we  read  of  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  travelling  from  country  to  country,  fix)m 
Chaldea  into  Palestine,  when  inhabited  by  various  differing 
nations— thence  into  Egypt  and  back  again,  making  engage- 
ments, and  treating  with  citizens  wlierever  they  went.  But 
we  never  read  of  any  difficulty  of  being  understood,  or  their 
using  an  interpreter. 

The  Indians  generally  express  themselves  with  great  vehe- 
mence and  short  pauses,  in  their  public  speeches.  Their 
periods  are  well  turned,  and  very  sonorous  and  harmonious. 
Their  words  are  specially  chosen,  and  well  disposed,  with 
great  care  and  knowledge  of  their  subject  and  language,  to 
show  the  being,  power  and  agency  of  the  great  spirit  in  all 

that  concerns  them. 

P 


10t>  A   STAR    IN    THE    WEST. 

To  speak  in  general  terms,  their  language  in  tlicir  roots, 
idiom  and  particular  construction,  a])pears  to  have  the  whole 
genius  of  the  Hebrew,  and  what  is  very  remarkable,  and  well 
worthy  of  serious  observation,  has  most  of  the  peculiarities  of 
that  language,  especially  those  in  which  it  differs  from  most 
other  languages ;  and  "  often,  both  in  letters  and  signification, 
synonimous  with  the  Hebrew  language."  They  call  the  light- 
ning and  thunder,  Eloha,  and  its  rumbling  noise  Rowah^ 
which  may  not,  improperly,  he  deduced  from  tlie  Hebrew 
word  Uuach,  a  name  of  the  third  person  in  the  holy  Trinity, 
originally  signifying  "  the  air  in  motion,  or  a  rushing  wind." 
— Faber. 

The  Indian  compounded  words  are  generally  pretty  long, 
but  those  that  are  radical  or  simple,  are  mostly  short;  very 
few,  if  any  of  them,  exceed  three  or  four  syllables.  And  as 
their  dialects  are  guttural,  every  word  contains  some  conson- 
ants, and  these  are  the  essential  characteristics  of  language. 
Where  they  deviate  from  this  rule,  it  is  by  religious  emblems, 
which  obviously  pi'oceeds  from  the  great  regard  they  pay  to 
the  names  of  the  Deity,  especiidly  to  the  great  four  lettered, 
divine,  essential  name,  by  using  the  Icttei's  it  contains,  and 
the  vowels  it  was  originally  pranounced  witli,  to  convey  a  vir- 
tuous idea;  or  by  doubling  or  transposing  them,  to  signify  the 
contrary.  In  this  all  the  Indian  nations  agree.  And  as  this 
general  custom  must  proceed  from  one  primary  cause,  it 
seems  to  assure  us,  that  this  people  was  not  in  a  savage  state 
when  they  first  separated,  and  varied  their  dialects  with  so 
much  religious  care  and  exact  art. 

Souard,  in  his  Melanges  de  Literature,  or  Literary  Mis- 
cellanies, speaking  of  the  Indians  of  Chiiana,  observes,  <'  on 


A    STAE   IN    THE    WEST.  107 

the  authority  of  a  learned  Jew,  Isaac  JVasciy  residing  at  Suri-: 
nam/'  wc  are  informed  that  the  language  of  tliose  Indians,  \ 
which  he  calls  the  Galibe  dialed^  and  which  is  common  to  all 
the  tribes  of  Guiana,  is  soft  and  agreeable  to  the  car,  abound- 
ing in  vowels  and  synonims,  and  passessing  a  syntax  as  regu- 
lar as  it  would  liave  been,  if  established  by  an  academy.  This 
Jew  says  that  all  the  substantives  are  Hebrew.  The  word 
expressive  of  the  soul  in  each  language,  mQnm  breaih.  They  j 
have  t]ic  same  word  in  Hebrew  to  denominate  God,  wliich  ( 
mcan£jiaster,  or  lord/' 

It  is  said  tliere  are  but  two  mother  tongues  among  the  north- 
ern Indians,  and  extending  tlience  to  the  Missisippi,  the 
Huron  and  Algonquin,  and  there  is  not  more  difference  be- 
tween these,  than  between  the  Norman  and  Fjcencli.     Dr. 
Edwards  asserts  that  the  language  of  the  Dclawares,  in  Penn- 
sylvania— of  tlie  Penobscots,  bordering  on  Nova-Scotia — of 
the  Indians  of  St.  Francis,  in  Canada — of  the  Shawanese,  on 
tlie  Ohio — of  the  Chippcwas,  to  the  westward  of  Lake  Huron 
— of  the  Ottawas,  Nanticokcs,  Munsces,  Minoniones,  Messina- 
gues,  Saasskies,  Ottagamies,  Killestinocs,  Mipegoes,  Algon- 
quins,  Winnebagoes,  and  oC  the  several  tribes  in  New-Eng- 
land, are  radically  the  same,  and  the  variations  between  them 
are  to  be  accounted  for  from  their  want  of  letters  and  of  com- ; 
munication.     Much  stress  may  be  laid  on  Dr.  Edwards'  opin-  \ 
ion.     He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and  great  piety.    He  \ 
had  a  liberal  education — was  greatly  improved  in  the  Indian   | 
languages,  which  lie  habituated  himself^,^  from  early  life,    I 
having  Uyf4Jgn^  among  the  Indians.  I 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WE.ST.  iQ9 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indian  Traditims  as  received  by  their  Nations. 

AS  the  Indian  nations  have  not  the  assistance  afforded  by  the 
means  of  writing  and  reading,  they  are  obliged  to  have 
recourse  to  tradition,  as  Du  Pratz,  2  vol.  169,  has  justly  ob- 
served, to  preserve  the  remembrance  of  remarkable  transac- 
tions or  historical  facts ;  and  this  ti^adition  cannot  be  preserv- 
ed, but  by  frequent  repetitions ;  consequently  many  of  their 
young  men  are  often  employed  in  hearkening  to  the  old  belov- 
ed men,  narrating  the  history  of  their  ancestors,  which  is  thus 
transmitted  from  generation  to  generation.  In  order  to  pre- 
serve them  pure  and  incorrupt,  they  are  careful  not  to  deliver 
them  indifferently  to  all  their  young  people,  but  only  to  those 
young  men  of  whom  they  have  the  best  opinion.  They  hold 
it  as  a  certain  fact,  as  delivered  down  from  their  ancestors, 
that  their  forefathers,  in  very  remote  ages,  came  fmni  a  far 
distant  country,  \fiyihe  way  of  the  west,  where  all  the  people 
were  of  one  colour,  and  that  in  process  of  time  they  movexl 
eastward  to  their  present  settlements. 

This  tradition  is  corroborated  by  a  current  report  among 
them,  related  by  the  old  Chickkasah  Indians  to  our  traders, 
that  now  about  100  years  ago,  there  came  from  Mexico,  some 
of  the  old  Chickkasah  nation,  or  as  the  Spaniards  call  them 
Chichemicas,  in  quest  of  their  brethren,  as  far  north  as  the 
Jlquahyah  nation,  above  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  above 
the  Natchez,  on  the  soutk-east  side  of  the  Missisippi  river ; 


110  A    STAR   IX   THE   M'EST. 

but  througli  French  policy,  tlicy  were  either  killed  or  sent 
back,  so  as  to  prevent  their  opening  a  brotherly  intercoui'se 
with  them,  as  they  had  proposed.  It  is  also  said,  that  the 
^lauatalcas  believe  that  they  dwelt  in  another  region  before 
they  settled  in  Mexico. — That  their  forefathers  wandered 
eighty  years  in  search  of  it,  through  a  strict  obedience  to  the 
commands  of  the  great  spirit ;  who  ordered  them  to  go  in  quest 
of  new  lands,  that  had  sitch  particular  marks  as  were  made 
known  to  them,  and  they  punctually  obeyed  the  divine  man- 
date, and  by  that  means  found  out  and  settled  that  fertile  coun- 
try of  Mexico, 

Our  southern  Indians  have  also  a  tradition  among  them 
which  they  firmly  believe,  that  of  old  time,  their  ancestors 
lived  beyond  a  great  river.  That  nine  parts  of  their  nation, 
out  of  ten,  passed  over  the  river,  but  the  remainder  refused, 
and  staid  behind.  /That  they  had  a  king  when  they  lived  far 
to  the  west,  who  left  two  sonSjl  That  one  of  them,  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  people,  travelled  a  great  way  for  many  years,  till 
tliey  came  to  Delaware  river,  and  settled  there.  That  some 
yeai's  ago,  the  king  of  the  country  from  \\  liicli  they  had  emi- 
grated, sent  a  party  in  search  of  them.  This  was  at  the  time 
the  French  were  in  possession  of  the  country  on  the  river 
Alleghany.  That  after  seeking  six  years,  they  found  an 
Indian  who  led  tlicm  to  the  Delaware  towns,  where  they  staid 
one  year.  That  the  Fi*ench  sent  a  white  man  with  them  on 
their  i^turn,  to  bring  back  an  account  of  their  country,  but 
they  have  never  been  heard  of  since. 

^'ht  is  said  among  their  principal,  or  beloved  men,  that  they 
have  it  handed  down  from  their  ancestors,  that  the  book  which 
the  white  people  have  was  once  theirs.\  That  wiulc  they 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  Ill 

had  it  they  prospered  exceedingly  ;  but  that  the  white  people 
bought  it  of  them,  and  learnt  many  things  fi*om  it;  while  the 
Indians  lost  their  credit,  offended  the  great  spirit,  and  suffer- 
ed exceedingly  from  the  neighbouring  nations.  JJThat  the 
great  spirit  took  pity  on  them  and  directed  them  to  this  coun- 
try.' That  on  their  way  they  came  to  a  great  riyer,  which 
tliey  could  not  pass,  when  God  dried  up  the  waters  and  tlipy 
passed  over  dry  shod.  They  also  say  that  tlieir  forefathers 
were  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  divine  spirit,  by  which 
they  foretold  future  events,  and  conti'ouled  the  common  course 
of  nature,  and  this  they  transmitted  to  their  offspring,  on  con- 
dition of  their  obeying  the  sacred  laws.  That  they  did  by 
these  means  bring  down  showers  of  plenty  on  the  beloved 
people.  But  that  this  power,  for  a  long  time  past,  had  entire- 
ly ceased. 

The  reverend  gentlemen  mentioned  in  the  introduction, 
who  had  taken  so  much  pains  in  the  year  176i  or  5,  to  travel 
far  westward,  to  find  Indians  who  had  never  sCen  a  white 
man,  informed  the  writer  of  these  memoirs,  tliat  far  to  the 
northwest  of  tlie  Ohio,  he  attended  a  party  of  Indians  to  a 
treaty,  with  Indians  from  the  west  of  the  Missisippi.  Here  he 
found  the  people  he  was  in  search  of — he  conversed  with  their 
beloved  man  who  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before,  by  the 
assistance  of  three  grades  of  interpreters.  The  Indian  inform- 
ed him,  that  one  of  their  most  ancient  traditions  was,  that  a 
great  wliile  ago,  they  had  a  common  father,  who  lived  towards 
the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  governed  the  whole  world.  That 
all  the  white  people's  heads  were  under  his  feet.  That  he  had 
tv\Tlve  jsons,  by  whomi  he  Administered  bis^pyernment.  That 
his  authority  was  derived  from  the  great  spirit,  by  vLctue  of 


112  A    STAR   IN   THE    AVEST. 

some  special  gift  from  liim.  That  the  twelve  sons  behaved 
very  bad  and  tyrannized  over  the  people,  abusing  their  pow- 
er to  a  great  degree,  so  as  to  offend  the  great  spirit  exceed- 
ingly. Tliat  he  being  thus  angry  with  them,  suffered  the 
white  people  to  introduce  spirituous  liquors  among  them,  made 
tliem  drunk,  stole  the  special  gift  of  the  great  spirit  from 
them,  and  by  this  means  usurped  the  power  over  them,  and 
ever  since  the  Indians  heads  were  under  the  white  people's 
feet.  But  that  tliey  also  had  a  tradition,  that  the  time  would 
come,  when  the  Indians  would  regain^Jhe  gift  of  the  jgreat 
spirit  from  the  white  people,  and  with  it  their  ancient  power, 
when  the  white  people's  heads  would  be  again  under  the  In- 
dian's feet, 
j  Mr.  M'Kenzie  in  his  History  of  the  Fur  Trade,  and  his 
I  journey  through  North-America,  by  the  lakes,  to  the  Soutli- 

I  Sea,  in  the  year ,  says,  "  that  the  Indians  informed  him, 

i 

[that  they  had  a  tradition  among  them,  that  they  originally 

came  from*  another  country  inhabited  by  wicked  people,  and 

*  had  traversed  a  great  lake,  which  was  narrow,  shallow  and 

full  of  islands,  where  they  had  suffered  great  hardships  and 

much  misery,  it  being  always  winter,  with  ice  and  deep  snows 

— at  a  place  they  called  the  Copper-mine  River,  where  they 

made  the  first  land,  the  ground  was  covered  witli  copper, 

over  which  a  body  of  earth  l^ad  since  been  collected  to  the 

depth  of  a  man's  heighth.     They  believe  also  that  in  ancient 

times  their  ancestors  had  lived  till  their  feet  were  worn  out 

with  walking,  and  their  throats  with  eating.     Thej^iiescribed 

a  deluge,  v»hen  the  waters  spread  over  the  whole  earth,  ex- 

cept  the  highest  mountain,  on  the  top  of  wliich  they  were  pre- 


A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST.  113 

served.    They  also  bcli€\  ejn  a  fuhu^e  ji^^^^  M'Ken- 

zie's  history,  page  113. 

The  Indians  to  the  eastward  say,  that  previous  to  the  white  v 
people  coming  into  the  country,  their  ancestors  were  in  the  \ 
habit  of  using  circumcision,  but  lattcrally,  not  being  able  to 
assign  any  reason  for  so  strange  a  practice,  their  young  peo- 
ple insisted  on  its  being  abolished. 

M'Kenzie  says  the  same  of  the  Indians  he  saw  on  his  route, 
even  at  this  day.  History,  page  3i.  Speaking  of  the  nations 
of  the  Slave  and  Dog-rib  Indians,  yeij  far  to  the  northwest, 
he  says,  <*  whether  circumcision  be  practised  among  them,  I 
cannot  pretend  to  say,  but  the  appear aijce  of  it  was  general 
among  those  I  saw." 

The  Dog-rib  Indians  live  about  two  or  three  hundred  miles 
from  the  straits  of  Kamsehatka.  ^ 

Dr.  Beatty  says,  in  his  journal  of  a  visit  he  paid  to  the  In-  \ 
dians  on  the  Ohio,  about  fifty  years  ago,  that  an  old  christian  { 
Indian  informed  him,  that  an  old  uncle  of  his,  who  died  about  I 
the  year  1728,  related  to  him  several  customs  and  traditions 
of  former  times;  and  among  others,  that  circumcision  was 
practised  among  the  Indians  long  ago,  but  their  young  men 
making  a  mock  at  it,  brought  it  into  disrepute,  and  so  it  came 
to  be  disused.  Journal,  page  89.  The  same  Indian  said, 
that  one  tradition  they  had  was,  that  once  the  waters  had 
overflowed  all  the  land,  and  drowned  all  the  people  then  liv- 
ing, except  a  few,  who  made  a  great  canoe  and  were  saved 
in  it.  Page  90.  And  that  a  long  time  ago,  the  people  went 
to  build  a  high  place.  That  while  they  were  building  of  it, 
they  lost  their  language,  and  could  not  understand  one  anoth- 
er. That  while  one,  perhaps,  called  for  a  stick;,  another 
Q 


114  A    STAK   IN    THE    WEST. 

brought  him  a  stone,  <5cc.  «Scc.  and  from  that  tune  the  Indians 
began  t(jKS])ciik  di^miMa^ 
!  Father  C  liayEj^y^ix,  the  Frcneli  historian,  informs  us  that  the 
I  Hurons  and  Iroquois,  in  that  earJy  day,  had  a  tradition  among 
j  them  that  the  first  \yom an  came  from  heaven  and  hacTtwins, 
*  and  that  the  jlder  killed  the  ;^ounger. 

In  an  account  published  in  the  year  164i,  by  a  Dutch  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  in  New- York,  giving  an  account  of  tlie 
Mohawks,  he  says,  *<  an  old  woman  came  to  my  house  and  told 
the  family,  that  her  forefathers  had  told  her  tiiat  tlie  great 
spirit  once  went  out  walking  \vith  his  brother,  and  that  a 
dispute  arose  Jjetwcen  them,  and  the  great  spirit  killed  his 
brother."  This  is  plainly  a  confusion  of  the  story  of  Cain  and 
Abel.  It  is  most  likely  from  the  ignorance  of  the  minister  in 
the  idiom  of  tiie  Indian  language,  misconstruing,  Cain  being 
represented  as  a  great  man,  for  the  ^reat  spirit.  Many  mis- 
takes of  this  kind  are  frequently  made. 
\  Mr.  Adair,  who  has  written  the  Historj  of  thej[nid^  and 
\  who  deserves  great  credit  for  his  industry  and  improving  the 
\  very  great  and  uncommon  opportunities  he  enjoyed,  tells  us, 
that  the  southern  Indians  have  a  tradition,  that  when  they 
left  tlieir  own  native  land,  they  brought  with  thera^^asanctified 
rod,  by  order  of  ajj.j?racle,  which  they  fixed  every  gigjit  in  the 
ground ;  and  were  to  remove  from  place  to  place  on  this  con- 
tinent, towards  the  iis,ing  sun,  till  it  bnded  in  one  night's  time. 
That  they  obeyed  the  sacred  oracle,  and  tiie  miracle  at  last 
took  place,  after  they  arrived  on  this  side  of  the  Missisippi, 
on  the  present  land  they  possess.  This  was  the  sole  cause 
of  I  heir  settling  there — of  fighting  so  firmly  for  their  reputed 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  115 

holy  land  and  holy  things — that  they  may  be  buried  with  Ihoir 
beloved  forefathers.'* 

This  seems  to  be  taken  from  Aaron's  xp^]. 

Col.  James  Smith,  in  liis  Journal  of  J^ vents,  tliat  happened 
while  he  was  prisoner  with  the  Caughncwaga  Ir^dians,  from 
1755  to  1759,  says,  "  they  have  a  tradition  tliat  in  the  begin- 
ning of  this  continent,  the  angels  or  heavenly  inhabitants,  as 
they  call  them,  frequently  visited  the  people,  and  talked  witli 
their  forefathers,  and  gave  directions  how  to  pray,  and  how  to 
appease  the  great  being,  when  he  was  offended.  They  told 
them  they  were  to  offer  sacrifice,  burn  tobacco,  buiT/iloe  and 
deer's  bones,  &c.  &c."     Page  79. 

The  Ottawas  say,  "that  there  are  tw^o  great  beings  tliat 
rule  and  govern  the  universe,  w  ho  are  at  war  with  each  other ; 
the  one  they  cr\\  Manefn^  and  the  other  Mukhemaneto.  Tiiey 
say  that  Manelo  is  all  kindness  and  love,  and  the  other  is  an 
evil  spirit  that  delights  in  doin^g  miscldef.  Some  sa}'^  that  they 
arc  equal  in  power ;  others  say  that  Jlanetp^hi^the  first ^esit 
cause,  and  therefore  must  he  all  powerful  and  supi'eme,  and 
ought  to  be  adored  and  worshipped  ;  whereas  Matchemaneto 
ought  to  be  rejected  and  despised."  "  Some  of  the  Wyandotr. 
and  Caughnewaga's  profess  to  be  Roman  Catholics  ;  but  even 
these  retain  many  of  tlie  notions  of  their  ancestors.  Those 
who  reject  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  hold  that  there  is  one 
great  first  cause,  whom  they  call  Owaheeyo,  that  rules  and 
governs  the  univ^erse,  and  takes  care  of  all  his  creatures 
rational  and  irrational,  and  gives  them  their  food  in  due  sea- 
son, and  hears  the  prayers  of  all  those  who  call  upon  him ; 
therefore  it  is  but  just  and  reasonable  to  pray  and  oflc'r  sacri- 
fice to  this  great  being  and  to  do  those  things  that  are  pleas- 


116  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

ing  in  his  sight.  But  they  widely  differ  in  what  is  pleasing 
or  displeasing  to  this  great  being.  Some  hold  that  following 
nature  or  their  own  propensities  is  the  way  to  happiness. 
Others  reject  this  opinion  altogether,  and  say,  that  following 
their  own  propensities  in  this  manner  is  neither  the  means  of 

I  happiness,  or  the  way  to  please  the  deity.  My  friend,  Te- 
caughretanego,  said,  our  happiness  depenij^  on  our^using  our 
reason,  in  order  to  suppress  these  evil  dispositions ;  but  when 
i  our  propensities  neither  lead  us  to  injure  ourselves  nor  others, 
we  may  with  safety  indulge  them,  or  even  pursue  them  as  the 
means  of  happiness.     Page  80. 

Can  any  man  read  this  short  account  of  Indian  ti'aditions, 
drawn  from  tribes  of  various  nations,  from  the  west  to  the 
east,  and  from  the  south  to  the  north,  wholly  separated  from 
each  other,  written  by  different  authors  of  the  best  characters, 
botli  for  knowledge  and  integrity,  possessing  the  best  means 
of  information,  at  various  and  distant  times,  without  any  povssi- 
ble  communication  with  each  other,  and  in  one  instance  from 
occular  and  sensible  demonsiration ;  written  on  the  spot  in 
several  instances,  with  tlie  relators  before  them ;  and  yet  sup- 
pose that  all  this  is  either  the  etTcet  of  chance,  accident  or  de- 
sign, from  a  love  of  the  marvellous  or  a  premeditated  inten- 
tion of  deceiving,  and  thereby  ruining  their  own  well  estab- 
lished reputations? 

f  Charlevoix  was  a  clergyma^i  of  character,  who  was  with 
[the  Indians  some  years,  and  travelled  from  Canada  to  the 
Missjsippi,  in  that  early  day. 

Adair  li^  ed  fort^  years  entirebc.j3Qmesticated  with  the 
southernjiulians,  and  was  a  man  of  learning  and  great  obser- 
vation.    Just  before  the  revolutionary  war  he  brought  his 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  117 

manuscript  to^EHzjibetjiJ'own,  in  New-Jersey,  to  William 
Livingston,  Esq.  (a  neighbour  ottlie ;\vTiter)  to  have  it  exam- 
ined and  corrected,  which  was  prevented  by  tlie  troubles  of  a  ^ 
political  nature,  just  breaking  out.  The  Re>\  Mr.  Brainerd  ; 
was  a  man  of  remarkable  piety,  and  a  missionary  with  the 
Crosweek  Indians  to  his  death.  Dr.  Edwards  was  eminent 
for  his  piety  and  learning,  and  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  tlie  Indians  from  his  youth.  Dr.  Beatty  was  a  clergyman 
of  note  and  established  character.  Bartram  was  a  man  well 
known  to  the  writer,  and  travelled  tlie  country  of  tiie  soiitli- 
ern  Indians  as  a  botanist,  and  was  a  man  of  considerable  dis- 
cernment, and  had  great  means  of  knowledge ;  and  M'Jijea- 
zie,  in  the  employment  of  the  nortlnyest^ojnpany,  an  old  tra- 
der, and  the  first  adventurous  explorer  of  the  country,  from 
the  lake  of  the  woods  to  the  southern  ocean. 

It  is  now  asked,  can  any  one  carefully  and  with  deep  reflec- 
tion, consider  and  compare  these  traditions  with  the  history 
of  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel,  and  the  late  discoveries  of  the  Rus- 
sians,  capt.  Cook  and  others,  in  and  about  the  peninsula  of 
Kamschatka  and  the  northeast  coast  of  Asia  and  the  opposite 
shore  of  America,  of  which  little  was  before  known  by  any 
civilized  nation,  without  at  least  drawing  strong  presumptive 
inferences,  in  favour  of  these  wanderiiig  nations  being  descen- 
ded from  some  oriental  nation  of  the  old  world,  and  most  prob- 
ably, all  things  considered,  beiner  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel. 
jT^et  us  look  into  the  late  discoveries,  and  compare  them  1 
I  with  the  Indian  traditions.  -      "* 

^"^^Kamschatka  is  a  large  peninsula  on  the  north  eastern  part 
of  Asia — It  is  a  mountainous  country,  lying  between  fifty-one 
and  sixty-two  degrees  of  north  latitude,  and  of  course  a  very 


418  A    STAR   IN   THE    "WEST. 

cold  and  frozen  climate.  No  grain  can  be  raised  there, 
though  some  vegetables  are.  Skins  and  furs  are  their  chief 
exports.  The  na,tives  are  wild  as  the  country  itself,  and  live 
on  fish  and  sea  animals,  with  their  rein-deer.  The  islands  in 
this  sea,  whicli  separate  it  from  the  northwest  coast  of  Ameri- 
ca, are  so  numerous  that  the  existence  of  an  almost  continued 
chain  of  them  between  the  two  continents  is  now  rendered 
extremely  probable.  The  principal  of  them  are  the  Kurile 
Islands,  those  called  Bherings  and  Copper  Islands,  the  Alentian 
Islands  and  Fox  Islands.  Copper  Island  which  lies  in  fifty-four 
degrees  north,  and  in  full  sight  of  Bhering's  Island,  has  its 
name  from  the  great  quantities  of  copper  witli  whicli  the 
northeast  coast  of  it  abounds.  Mr.  Grieve's  history.  It  is 
washed  up  by  the  sea,  and  covers  the  shores  in  such  abund- 
ance, that  many  ships  might  be  loaded  with  it  very  easily. 
These  islands  arc  subject  to  continual  earthquakes,  and 
abound  in  sulphur.  Alaska  is  one  of  the  most  eastwardly  isl- 
ands, and  probably  is  not  far  from  the  American  coast.  The 
snow  lies  on  these  islands  till  March,  and  the  sea  is  fdled 
with  ice  in  winter.  There  is  little  or  no  wood  growing  in  any 
part  of  the  country,  and  the  inhabitants  live  in  holes  dug  in 
the  earth.  Their  greatest  delicacies  are  wild  lily  and  other 
roots  and  berries,  with  fish  and  other  sea  animals.  Tlie  distance 
between  the  most  nortlieastwardly  part  of  Asia  and  the  north- 
west coast  of  America,  is  determined  by  the  famous  naviga- 
tor eapt.  Cook,  not  to  exceed  thirty-nine  miles.  These  straits 
are  often  filled  with  ice,  even  in  summer  and  frozen  in  winter, 
and  by  tliat  means  might  become  a  safe  passage  for  the  most 
numerous  host  to  pass  over  in  safety,  though  these  continents 
had  never  been  once  joined,  or  at  a  much  less  distance  than 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  119 

at  present.  The  sea  from  the  south  of  Bbering's  Straits  to  the 
islands,  between  the  two  continents,  is  very  shallow.  From 
the  frequent  volcanoes  that  are  continually  happening,  it  is 
probable,  not  only  that  there  has  been  a  separation  of  the  con- 
tinent at  Bhering's  Straits,  but  that  the  \vhole  space  from  the 
island  to  that  small  opening  was  once  filled  up  by  land ;  but 
that  it  had  by  the  force  and  fury  of  the  waters,  perhaps  actua- 
ted by  fire,  been  totally  sunk  and  destroyed,  and  the  islands 
left  in  its  room.  Neither  is  it  improbable  that  the  fiist  pas- 
sage of  the  sea  was  much  smaller  than  at  present,  and  that 
it  is  widening  yearly,  and  perhaps  many  small  islands  that 
existed  at  the  first  separation  of  the  continents,  have  sunk  or 
otherwise  have  been  destroyed.  These  changes  are  manifest 
in  almost  every  country.  I 

^loiisieur  Lc  Page  dii  Pratz,  in  his  2d  vol.  ofjus  Histoi^  of  i 
Louisiana,  jjmge  120,  informs  us,  that  being  exceedingly  desir-  | 
ous  to  be  informed  of  the  origin  of  the  Indian  natives,  made 
every  enquiry  in  his  power,  especially  of  the  nation  of  tiie 
Natchez,  one  of  the  most  intelligent  among  them.  All  he  could 
learn  from  them  was,  that  they  came  from  betw  een  the  nwth 
and  the  sun  setting — being  no  way  satisfied  with  this,  he 
sought  for  one  w  ho  bore  the  character  of  one  of  their  wisest 
men.  He  w  as  happy  enough  to  discover  one  named  Moncccld' 
apCf  among  the  Yazous,  a  nation  about  forty  leagues  frem  the 
Natchez.  This  man  w  as  remarkable  for^Uis  solid  iiiuleistand- 
ing  and  elevation  of  sentiments,  and  his  name  was  given  to 
him  by  his  nation  as  expressive  of  the  man — meaning  *^*//{; 
killer  of^pain  andjutigue,**  His  eager  desire  to  see  the  coun- 
ti  y  from  w  hence  his  forefathers  came,  he  obtained  directions 
and  set  off.     He  went  i^  the  |^i|souri,  where  be  staid  a  long 


120  A   STAR   IX   THE   WEST. 

time  to  learn  the  different  Janguages  of  the  nations  he  was  to 
pass  through.  After  long  travelling  he  came  to  the  nation  of 
the  Otters,  and  hy  them  was  directed  on  his  way,  till  he  reach- 
ed the  southern  ocean.  After  being  some  time  with  the  na- 
tions on  the  shores  of  the  great  sea,  he  proposed  to  proceed 
on  his  journey,  and  joined  himself  to  some  people  who  inhabi- 
ted more  westvvardly  on  the  coast.  They  travelled  a  great 
way  between  the  north  and  the  sun  setting,  when  theyarriv- 
ed  at  the  village  of  his  fellow  travellers,  where  he  found  the 
days  long  and  the  nights  short.  He  was  here  advised  to  give 
f)ver  all  thoughts  of  continuing  his  journey.  They  told  him 
•^  that  the  land  extended  still  a  long  way  in  the  direction  afore- 
said, after  which  it  ran  directly  west,  and  at  length  was  cut 
by  the  great  water  from  north  to  south.  One  of  them  added, 
that  when  he  was  young  he  knew  a  very  old  man,  who  had 
seen  that  distant  land  before  it  was  eat  away  by.  the  great 
water ;  and  wlien  the  great.>Y:^ter3y,as  low,  many  rocks  still 
appeared  in  those  parts."  ^^oncacht-ape  took  their  advice 
and  returned  home  after  an  absence  of  five  years,' 

Tiiis  account  given  to  Du  Pratz,  in  the  year  1720,  confirms 
the  idea  of  the  narrow  passage  at  jK*amsc/iato,  and  the  proba- 
I  bility  that  the  continents  once  joined. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  people,  especially  the  Kamschat- 
kians,  in  their  marches,  never  go  but  in  indian  file,  following 
one  another  in  the  same  track.  Some  of  the  nations  in  this 
quarter,  prick  their  flesh  with  small  punctures  with  a  needle 
in  various  shapes,  then  rub  into  them  charcoal,  blue  liquid  or 
some  other  colour,  so  as  to  make  the  marks  to  become  indeli- 
ble, after  the  manner  of  the  more  eastern  nations. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  l^JL 

Bishop  Lowth  in  his  notes  on  the  16th  verse  of  the  xlixth 
chapter  of  Isaiah,  says,  « this  is  certainly  an  aUusionto  some 
practice  common  among  the  Jews  at  that  time,  of  making 
marks  on  their  hands  and  arms  hy  punctures  on  tlie  skin,  with 
some  sort  of  sign  or  representation  of  the  city  or  temple,  to 
shew  their  affection  and  zeal  for  it.  They  had  a  method  of 
making  such  punctures  indelible  by  fire  or  staining — and  this 
art  is  practiced  by  travelling  Jews  all  over  the  world  at  this 
day— Vid.  also  his  note  on  cliap*  xlv.  5th  verse. 

Thus  it  is  with  our  nortliern  Indians ;  tliey  always  go  in 
Indian  file,  and  mark  their  flesh  just  as  above  represented. 

The  writer  of  this  has  seen  an  aged  christian  Indian  Sach- 
em, of  good  character,  who  sat  for  his  portrait.  On  stripping 
his  neck  to  the  lower  part  of  his  breast,  it  appeared  that  the 
whole  was  marked  with  a  deep  blueish  colour  in  various  fig- 
ures, very  discernible.  On  being  asked  the  reason  of  it,  he 
answered,  with  a  heavy  sigh,  that  it  was  one  of  the  follies  of 
his  youth,  when  he  was  a  great  warrior,  before  his  conversion 
to  Christianity ;  and  now,  says  he,  I  must  bear  it,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  my  folly,  and  carry  tlie  marks  of  it  to  my  grave. 

The  people  of  Siberia  made  canoes  of  birch  bark,  distended 
over  ribs  of  wood,  nicely  sewed  together.  The  writer  has 
seen  this  exactly  imitated  by  the  Indians  on  the  river  St. 
Lawrence,  and  it  is  universally  the  case  on  the  lakes.  Col. 
John  Smith  says,  "  at  length  we  all  embarked  in  a  large  birch 
bark  canoe.  This  vessel  was  about  four  feet  wide  and  three 
feet  deep,  and  about  thirty-five  feet  long;  and  though  it  could 
carry  a  heavy  burthen,  it  was  so  artfully  and  curiously  con- 
structed, tliat  four  men  could  carry  it  several  miles,  from  one 

landing  place  to  another;  or  from  the  waters  of  tlie  lake  to  the 
R 


12^  A    STAK   IN    THE    WEST. 

waters  of  the  Ohio.  At  night  they  carry  it  on  the  land,  and 
invert  it,  or  turn  it  bottom  up,  and  convert  it  into  a  dwelling- 
house." 

It  also  appears  from  the  liistory  of  Kamsehatka,  written  by 
James  Grieve,  that  in  the  late  discoveries,  the  islands  which 

I  extend  from  tlie  sonth  point  of  Kanischatka,  amount  to  tliirty- 
one  or  thii-ty-two.  That  on  these  islands  are  high  mountains, 
and  many  of  them  smoaking  volcanoes.  Tliat  the  passages 
between  them,  except  in  one  or  two  instances,  were  but  one 
or  two  days  row,  at  the  time  of  the  authors  writing  that  his- 
tory. They  are  liable  to  terrible  inundations  and  earthquakes. 
The  following  is  collected  from  Mi*.  Steller's  journal,  as 
recorded  in  the  above  history.  "  The  main  land  of  America 
lies  parallel  with  the  coast  of  Kamsehatka,  insomuch  that  it 
may  reasonably  be  c-oucluded  that  these  lands  once  joined, 
especially  at  tlie  Techukotskoi  Noss,  or  Cape.  He  offers  four 
reasons  to  prove  it :  1st.  The  appearance  of  both  coasts, 
whicli  seem  to  be  torn  asunder.  2d.  Many  capes  project 
into  the  sea  from  thiily  to  sixty  versts.  3d.  Many  islands 
are  in  tlie  sea  which  divides  Kamsehatka  from  America.  *th. 
The  situation  of  the  islands,  and  the  breadth  of  that  sea. — 
The  sea  is  full  of  islands,  which  extend  from  the  north-west 
point  of  America  to  the  channel  of  Anianova.  One  follows 
another,  as  the  Kuruloski  islands  do  at  Japan.  The  Ameri- 
can coast  at  sixty  degrees  of  north  latitude,  is  covered  \^  itli 
wood;  but  at  Kamsehatka,  which  is  only  ^fty-one  degrees, 
there  is  none  for  near  fifty  vei'sts  from  the  sea,  and  at  sixty- 
two  not  one  tree  is  to  be  found.  It  is  known  also,  that  tlie 
fish  enter  the  rivers  on  the  American  coast,  earlier  than  they 
do  in  the  rivers  of  Kamsehatka.    There  are^  also  i)lenty  of 


A    STAU   IX    THE   WEST.  12;! 

raspberries,  of  a  large  size  and  fine  taste,  besides  honey 
suckles,  cran-berries  and  black-berries  in  great  plenty.  In 
the  sea  there  are  seals,  sea-beavei*s,  whales  and  dog-fisli. 
In  the  country  and  in  the  rivers  on  the  American  coast,  rod 
and  black  foxes,  swans,  ducks,  quails,  plover,  and  ten  kinds 
of  birds  not  known  in  Europe.  These  particulars  may  help 
to  answer  the  question,  whence  w^as  America  peopled;  for 
though  we  sliould  grant  that  the  two  continents  never  were 
Joined,  yet  they  lie  so  near  lo  each  otiicr,  that  the  possibility 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Asia  going  over  to  America,  especially 
considering  the  number  of  the  islands,  and  tlie  coldness  of  tlic 
climate,  cannot  be  denied.  From  BlK^ring's  Island,  on  its 
high  mountains,  you  can  see  mountains  covered  with  snow, 
that  appear  to  be  capes  of  the  main  land  of  America,  From 
all  which  it  appears  clearly,  here  vvas  a  probable  mean 
of  a  people  passing  from  Asia  to  America,  either  on  the  main 
land  before  a  separation,  or  from  island  to  island ;  or  on  the 
ice  after  a  separation,  by  which  the  continent  of  America 
might  have  been  peopled,  by  the  tribes  of  Israel  wandering 
north-east,  and  directed  by  the  unseen  hand  of  Providence, 
and  thus  they  entered  into  a  country  wlicrcin  mankind  never 
before  dwelt. 

It  is  not  presumed  that  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel  alone  did 
this.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  might  have  gone  with  them 
from  Tartary  or  ^cythia ;  and  particularly  the  old  inhabitants 
of  Damascus,  who  were  carried  away  in  the  first  place  by 
Tiglah  Pilnezer,  before  his  conquest  of  the  Israelites,  and 
were  their  neighbours,  and  perliaps  as  much  dissatisfied  with 
their  place  of  banishment,  though  for  different  reasons,  as  the 
Israelites,  as  well  as  from  Kamschatka,  on  their  way  where 


12*  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST, 

they  were  stopped  some  time,  as  the  Egyptians  did  with  the 
Israelites  of  old.  And  indeed  it  is  not  improbable,  as  has  be- 
fore been  hinted,  that  some  few  of  other  nations,  who  traded 
on  the  seas,  might,  in  so  long  a  course  of  time,  have  been 
driven  by  stress  of  weather,  and  reached  the  Atlantic  shores 
at  different  places ;  but  the  great  body  of  people  settling  in 
North  and  South- America,  must  have  originated  from  the 
same  source. 

Hence  it  would  not  be  surprising  to  find  among  their  dcr 
scendants,  a  mixture  of  the  Asiatic  languages,  manners,  cus- 
toms and  peculiarities.  Nay,  it  would  appear  rather  extra- 
ordinary and  unaccountable  if  this  was  not  so.  And  if  we 
should  find  this  to  be  the  case,  it  would  greatly  corroborate 
the  fact  of  their  having  passed  into  America  from  the  north- 
east point  of  Asia,  accoi'ding  to  the  Indian  tradition.  We,  at 
the  present  day,  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  facility  with  which 
these  wandering  northern  nations  removed  from  one  part  of 
the  country  to  the  other.  The  Tartars  at  this  time,  who 
possess  that  northern  country,  live  in  tents  or  covered  carts, 
and  wander  from  place  to  place  in  seai'ch  of  pasture,  &c. 


A  STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 


125 


CHAPTER  V. 


Their  general  CJmrader  and  established  Customs  and  Habits^ 

WE  will  now  proceed  to  consider  tlie  general  character 
of  the  people  of  whom  we  are  treating,  as  preliminary  to  the 
enquiring  into  their  customs  and  habits.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  the  full  understanding  our  subject,  to  premise  a  few  par- 
ticulars. When  America  was  first  discovered  by  Columbus, 
it  was  comparatively  well  peopled  by  some  hundreds,  if  not 
thousands  of  tribes  of  different  nations,  from  the  coast  oppo- 
site to  Kamschatka  to  Hudson's  Bay.  Their  numbers  have 
not  been  known,  neither  can  they  be  known  at  this  day.  But 
to  form  some  general  idea  of  them,  by  reasoning  on  the  sub- 
ject, we  will  give  the  numbers  of  the  nations  that  have  come 
to  our  knowledge  at  different  times=^ — 


A 

Akamsians 

Arrowhatoes 

Assinnis 

Arathapescoas 

Avoyels 

Adaics 

Appomotacks 

Accotronacks 

Accomacks 


Abenakias 

Algonkins 

Amelistes 

Assinaboils 

Agones 

Arkanzas 

Aughquagchs 

Alebamons 

Attatramasucs 

Amdustez 


Aiaouez 

Assanpinks 

Aurananeaus 

Appalachos 

Abeckas 

Aquelou-pissasf 

Atacapas 

Andaslaka 

Attibamegues 


*  Pikes  Expedition.    No.  of  Warriors.    No.  of  Women.    No.of  Ch»I(lrei>, 
+  Men  who  understand  and  see. 


125 


A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 


B 

Catawhas 

Cussutas 

Blanes 

Chocktaws 

Chiikaws 

Bayoue  Ogoulas 

Creeks 

Colapissas 

C 

Choiianongsf 

Caseitas 

Chatkas*  or  flat 

Chiahnessou 

Chatkas 

heads 

Canzas 

Conchacs 

Cuttatawomans 

Chitemachas 

D 

Chickahomines 

Caonetas 

Delawares 

Cliickiaes 

Chatots 

Dog-rib  Indians 

Chesapeaks 

Chacci  Cumas,  or 

E 

Connosidagoes 

red  Cray  fish 

Erics 

Colnmnewagoes 

Chaouchas  or 

Erigas 

Chalas 

Ouachas 

F 

Capalinakes 

Cadodaquioux 

Foxes,  400,  500,  850 

C(Hroas 

Conestogoes 

G 

Christinaux 

Caughnewagoes 

Grand  Eaux 

Chilians 

Chayennes 

Gakaos 

Canses 

Chappunish,  or 

Ganawoose 

Caddoques 

pierced  nose 

H 

Caonitcs 

Indians 

Hassiniengas 

Cayugas 

Cantanyans,  on  tlie  Hurons 

Conoies 

Alleghany 

Houmas 

Chippewas,  or  An- 

river 

I 

chipawah,  345, 

Ceneseans  or  Cenis  Iroquois 

619, 1624^ 

Cahirmois 

Illinois 

Chcrokees 

Coosades 

Ictans 

Chickasaws 

Cowetas 

Icbewas 

*  They  xeckoned  formerly  25000  warriors,  but  it  is  more  likely  to  be  only  men. 
Said  to  be  quite  peaceable. — Du  Pratz. 
f  A  numerous  nation  of  38  villages,  below  the  Missouri,  on  the  Missisippi. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 


127 


loways,  300,  400, 

700. 
K 
Kecoughtons 
Kaskkasies 
Killistinocs 
Kiekapoos 
Kappas 
Kanoatinas 
Kans,  465,  500, 

600. 
L 
Linniliiiopes 
Lenais 
Les  Puans 

M 
Minatarees 
Messiasics 
Menowa  Kaiitong, 

or  people  of  the 

lakes,  S05,  600, 

1200. 
Mantes 
Macliecous 
Mechimacks 
Mohiccons 
Munsees 
Manalioacs 
Melotaukes 
Monachans,  now 


Tuscaroras,  ad- 
ded to  the  Five 
Nations  in  1712. 

Mandans 

Monasiceapanocs 

Musquaties 

Monahassanoes 

Massinagiies 

Mohemonsoes 

Mexicans 

Moraughtacunds 

Mattapomens 

Missinasagues 

Missouris 

Mohocs  or  Mohawks 

Mingoes 

Mohuccons 

Miamis 

Mynonamies  300^ 
350,  700. 

Mascoiitons,  or  Na- 
tion of  Fire 

Messcothins 

Mencamis 

Mobeluns,  or  Mou- 
ville 

Milowacks 

Mertowacks 

Mohuccories 

Mahatons,  or 


IManhattons 

Mohegans 

Muckhekanics 

Ministeneaux 

Munseys 

Minisinks 

Maherins 

Massawonaes 

Minonionees 

Mipegois 

Miiskoghees 

Michigamias 

Maqiias 

Mandans 

N 
Nesharainas; 
Narragansetts 
Nepiscenicens 
Nassamonds 
Nottoways 
Nanticokes 
Natches 

Nantaughtacunds 
Nepissens 
Naudowessies 
Natchitoches 
Nauatalchas 
Nacunes  or  Greens 
Narauwins^s 


128 


A    STAR   IN   THE   AVE^T. 


o 

Omans 

Onanikins 

Ousasons 

Outponics 

Onaumanients 

Oswagatches 

Orundacs  - 

Osages  ±252, 1793, 
97i. 

Oneidas 

Onondagoes 

Oueatonons 

Ottowas 

Oniscousins 

Ottagamies  or 
Foxes 

Outimacs 

Ousasoys 

Otters 

Oniyoiiths 

Othoiiez 

Oiimas,  or  Red  Na- 
tion 

Oufe  Ogulas,orthe 
Nation  of  the 
Dog 

Oque-Loussas 

Oakfuskees 

Ouachibes 


P 

Piorias 

Pequots 

Parachuctaus 

Prakimines 

Plmitconis 

Piankishaws 

Patowomacks 

Pissassees 

Padoucas 

Pamunkies 

Payankatanks 

Powhatans 

Paspahegas 

Panis  and  White 

Panis,  Black 

Panis 
Pouhatamies 
Penobseots 
Panemahas 
Pacha  Oglouas,  or 

the  Nation  of 

Bread 
Pomptons 
Pawnees,  1993, 

2170,  2060. 
Pemveans 
Panoses 
Pandogas 


Quiocohanses 
Quadodaquees 

R 
Rappahanocks 
Round  Heads 
Rancokas 
Ricoras 

S 
Sokulks 
Skillools 
Seminoles 
Schactikook,or  river 

Indians 
Sitons,  360,  700, 

1100. 
Susquehannas 
Satanas 
Sankihani 
Stegerakies 
Shackakonies 
Secakoonies 
Sivux 
Senecas 
Sapoonies 
Shawanese 
Souckelas 
Shakies 
Saaskies 
Shackaxons 


A  STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 


129 


Sacs  700, 750, 1400  Tapousoas 
Shosonces  or  Snake  Tionontates 


Winnebagocs  450, 
500,  1000. 


Indians. 
T 

Teganatics 

Taiixilnanians 

Tauxinentcs 

Tcntilvcs 

Tiiscaroras 

Twightwie^ 

Thomcz 

Taensas 

Tonicas 

Theoux 


Tsouonthousaas,  on  Washpelong  or  peo- 
the  Ohio  pie  of  the  leaves 

Tetaus  2700,  3000,       180,  350,  530. 


2500.  Washpcoute  90, 

V  180,  270. 

Vermilions  Y 

W  Youghtaniinds 

Wabingies  Yazous 

Wapings  Yanetongs  900, 

%Yiglicocomicoes  1600,  2700. 

"Wianoes  Yatassees 

Wamasqueaks  Other  bands  gene- 

Titones  2000, 3600,  AVyandots  rally  1704, 2565, 

6000  "Webings  4i20. 

Tomaroas  Whonkentics 

Some  nations  divided  and  settled  at  a  distance  from  each 
other,  and  after  many  years,  their  language  so  changed,  as 
to  form  different  dialects ;  as  was  in  our  days,  the  case  with 
the  Erigas.,  on  the  Ohio,  who  separated  from  the  Tuscororas, 
and  formed  a  distinct  dialect  in  the  course  of  a  few  years. 

Here  are  tlien  one  hundred  and  ninety  different  nations, 
each  having  a  king  or  sachem  over  them,  of  whom  we  have 
had  some  knowledge,  though  many  of  them  are  not  now  known ; 
what  then  must  be  the  number  of  the  nations  on  this  conti- 
nent could  they  all  be  known  ?  Although  we  cannot  with  any 
precision  know  the  number  of  the  nations,  on  the  arriviU  of 
Columbus,  and  much  less  the  number  of  souls,  yet  we  may  as 
matter  of  curiosity  give  the  numbers  of  individual  nations  of 


150  A   STAH   IN   THE    WEST. 

late  years  as  far  as  the  fact  can  be  ascertained — and  here  our 
labour  will  be  greatly  lessened  by  a  late  ingenious  and  well 
written  pamphlet,  entitled,  "  Discourse  delivered  before  the 
New- York  Historical  Society,  December  1811,"  by  the  hon- 
ourable Dewitt  Clinton,  of  the  city  of  New-Yjork.  To  the 
labours  of  this  gentleman,  w^e  are  greatly  indebted  for  the 
substance  of  many  of  the  following  observations,  as  well  as  the 
elegant  manner  in  which  he  has  communicated  so  much  infor- 
mation to  tlie  world. 

Du  Pratz,  in  his  History  of  Louisiana,  (1  vol.  107 
—123)  gives  an  account  of  the  single  nation  of  the  Padoucas, 
lying  west  by  north-west  of  the  Missouri,  in  1724,  which  may 
give  a  faint  idea  of  the  numbers  originally  inhabiting  this  vast 
continent.  He  says  "  the  nation  of  the  Paduca^s  is  very  nume- 
rous, extends  almost  two  hundred  leagues,  and  they  have  vil- 
lages quite  close  to  the  Spaniards  of  New  Mexico."  <<  They 
are  not  to  be  considered  as  a  wandering  nation,  though  employ- 
ed in  hunting,  summer  and  winter— page  121.  Seeing  they 
have  large  villages,  consisting  of  a  great  number  of  cabins, 
which  contain  very  numerous  families.  These  are  permanent 
abodes ;  from  which  one  hundred  hunters  set  out  at  a  time 
with  their  horses,  their  bows  and  a  good  stock  of  arrows." 
**The  village  where  we  were,  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  huts,  containing  about  eight  hundred  warriors,  fifteen 
hundred  women,  and  at  least  two  thousand  children,  some 
Padoucas  having  four  wives." — page  124.  «  The  natives  of 
North-America,  derive  their  origin  from  the  same  country, 
since  at  bottom  tliey  all  have  the  same  manners  and  usages, 
as  also  the  same  maimer  of  speaking  and  thinking." 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  131 

Mr.  Jeffei'son,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  in  his 
Notes  on  Virginia,  has  also  given  mucli  usefid  information  to 
the  world  on  several  important  subjects  relating  to  America, 
and  among  others  as  to  tlie  numbers  of  the  Indians  in  that  then 
dominion.  Speaking  of  the  Indian  confederacy  of  the  war- 
riors, or  rather  nations,  in  that  state  and  its  neighbourhood, 
called  **the  Powhatan  confederacy,"  says,  it  contained  in 
point  of  territoiy,  as  he  supposes,  of  their  patrimonial  country 
*<  about  three  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  one  hundred  in 
breadth.  That  there  was  about  one  inhabitant  for  every 
square  mile,  and  the  proportion  of  warriors  to  the  whole  num- 
ber of  inhabitants,  was  as  three  to  ten,  making  the  number  of 
souls  about  thirty  thousand." 

Some  writers  state  the  number  of  their  warriors  at  the  first 
coming  of  the  Europeans  to  Virginia,  to  be  fifteen  thousand,  i 
and  their  population  fifty  thousand.  La  Houtan  says  that  \ 
each  village  contained  about  fourteen  thousand  souls,  that  is, 
fifteen  hundred  that  bore  arms,  two  thousand  superanuated 
men,  four  thousand  women,  two  thousand  maids,  and  four 
thousand  five  hundred  children.  From  all  which,  it  is  but  a 
moderate  estimate  to  suppose  that  there  were^  six_  hundred 
tliousand  fighting  men,  or  warriors,  on  this  continent  at  its 
first  discovery. 

In  1677,  col.  Coursey,  an  agent  for  Virginia,  had  a  confer- 
ence with  the  Five  Nations,  at  Albany.  The  number  of  war- 
riors was  estimated  at  tliat  time  in  those  nations  at  the  fol- 
lowinr  rate.  Moliawks  three  hundred,  Oneidas  two  hundred, 
Onondagoes  three  hundred  and  fifty,  Cayugas  three  hundred, 
Senecas  one  thousand — ^total  two  thousand  one  hundred  and 


132  A    STAK   IN   THE   WEST. 

fifty,  which  makes  the  population  ahout  seven  thousand  two 
hundred.    Vide  Chalmer's  Political  Annals,  606. 
#    Smith,  in  his  History  of  New- York,  says,  that  in  1756,  the 
Inumher  of  fighting  men  were  about  twelve  hundred. 

Douglass,  in  his  History  of  Massachusetts,  says,  that  they 
i  were  about  fifteen  hundred  in  1760. 
I    In  1764b,  coj.  Boquet  states  the  whole  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants  (he  must  mean  fighting  men)  at  fifteen  hundred  and 
^  fifty. 

Captain  Hutchins,  in  1768,  states  them  at  two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  twenty,  and  Dodge,  an  Indian  trader,  in 
I  1779,  at  sixteen  hundred,  in  the  third  year  of  the  American 
revolutionary  war.  Many  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  the 
above  differences-— some  may  have  staid  at  home  for  the  de- 
fence of  their  towns— some  might  be  absent  treating  on  dis- 
putes with  their  neighbours,  or  sickness,  ke,  &c. 

During  the  above  war,  in  1776 — 7,  the  British  had  in  their 
service,  according  to  the  returns  of  their  agent — Mohawks 
three  hundred,  Oneidas  one  hundred  and  fifty,  Tuscororas 
two  hundred,  Onondagoes  tliree  hundred,  Cayugas  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty,  Senecas  four  hundred— In  the  whole  fifteen 
hundred  and  eighty.  The  Americans  had  about  two  hundred 
and  twenty,  making  up  eighteen  hundred  warriors,  equal  to 
about  six  thousand  souls. 

In  1783,  Mr.  Kirkland,  missionary  to  the  Oneidas,  estima- 
ted the  number  of  the  Seneca  warriors  at  six  hundred,  and  the 
total  number  of  the  Six  Nations,  at  more  than  four  thousand. 

In  1790,  he  made  the  whole  number  of  Indian  inhabitants 
then  remaining,  including  in  addition,  those  who  reside  on 
Grand  River,  in  Canada,  and  the  Stockbridge   and  Brother- 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  133 

town  Indians,  who  liad  then  lately  joined  them,  to  be  six  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  thirty,  of  which  there  were  nineteen 
hundred  warriors. 

In  179i,  on  a  division  of  an  annuity,  by  order  of  Congress, 
to  be  made  among  the  Six  Nations,  the  numbers  appeared 
with  considerable  certainty,  to  be 

In  the  United  States^    In  the  British  government. 
Mohawks  300 

Oncidas  628  ^60 

Cayugas  40  

Onondagoes  450  760 

Tuscaroras  400 

Senecas  1780 

Stockbridge  and 
Brothertown  In- 
dians, about  2330 
The  above  number 
of  British  760 

But  what  are  these  to  the  southern  Indians,  and  especially 
those  of  Mexico  and  Peru.  I  will  give  one  example.  Mons. 
La  PageJiiJPratz,  in  his  History  of  Louisiana,  written  about 
the  year  1730,  assures  us,  "that  the  nation  of  the  Natchez, 
from  whom  the  town  of  that  name  on  the  Missisippi  is  called, 
were  the  most  powerful  nation  in  North  America — 2  vol.  146. 
They  extended  from  the  river  Manchas  or  Iberville,  which 
is  about  fifty  leagues  from  the  sea,  to  the  river  Wabash,  which 
is  about  four  hundred  and  sixty  leagues  from  the  sea,  and 
that  they  had  five  hundred  Sachems  ia  the  ^lation.'* 

He  further  says,  "that  the  Cliatkasor  Flat-heads,  near  the 
river  Pacha  Os^ulaSf  had  twenty-five  thousand  warriors,  but 


13*  A   STAK  IN   THE   WEST. 


in  whicli  number, 

he  supposes  many  were 

)  reckoned  who  had 

but  a  sliglit  title  to  that  name — Page  140. 

But  a  short  estimate  of  the  length  and  breadth  of  different 

parts  of  America, 

although  not  pretended  to  be  perfectly  accu- 

rate,  yet  having 

endeavoured  to  keep  within  bounds,  it  may 

serve  to  answer  tlie  end  now  proposed. 

Length  in  miles. 

Breadth  in  miles. 

Old  Mexico 

2,000 

600 

New-Mexico 

2,000 

1,600 

Louisiana 

1,600 

1,200 

Terra  Firm  a 

1,400 

700 

Amazonia 

1,200 

960 

Peru 

1,800 

500 

Chili 

1,200 

500 

Patagonia 

700 

300 

La  Plata 

1,500 

1,000 

Brazil 

2,500 

700 

Thirteen  United  States   1,250 

1,040 

Esquimaux 

1,600 

1,200 

Canada 

1,200 

276 

Nova  Scotia 

500 

400 

Floridas 

600 

130 

Miles         20,850  11,106 

Besides  this  immense  territory,  on  all  which  there  are  some 
Indians  to  be  found,  the  country  from  New^-Mexico,  west  to 
the  South  seas,  which  is  yet  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  abounds 
in  Indian  nations,  must  be  added  to  the  vast  amount,  as  more 
than  equal  to  all  the  rest. 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  135 

The  Indians,  by  oppression,  diseases,  wars  and  ardent  spir- 
its, have  greatly  diminished  in  numbers,  degenerated  in  their 
moral  character,  and  lost  their  high  standing  as  warriors, 
especially  those  contiguous  to  our  settlements. 

^*The  very  ancient  men  who  have  witnessed  the  former 
glory  and  prosperity  of  their  country,  or  who  have  heard  from 
the  mouths  of  their  ancestors,  and  particularly  from  their  be- 
loved men,  (whose  office  it  is  to  repeat  their  traditions  and 
laws  to  the  rising  generations,  with  the  heroic  achievements 
of  their  forefathers)  the  former  state  of  tlieir  country  with  the 
great  prowess  and  success  of  their  warriore  of  old  times,  they 
weep  like  infants,  when  they  speak  of  the  fallen  condition  of 
their  nations.  They  derive  however  some  consolation  from  a 
prophecy  of  ancient  origin  and  universal  currency  among 
them,  that  the  man  of  America,  will,  at  some  future  period, 
regain  his  ancient  ascendency  and  expel  the  man  of  Europe 
from  this  western  hemisphere.  This  flattering  and  consol- 
atory persuasion  has  enabled  the  Seneca  and  Shawnese 
prophets,  to  arrest,  in  some  tribes,  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  and  has  given  birth,  at  different  periods,  to  attempts 
for  a  general  confederacy  of  the  Indians  of  North  America.'* 
Clinton, 

The  vvriter  of  this  was  present  at  a  dinner  given  by  gene- 
ral Knox,  to  a  number  of  Indians  in  the  year  1789,  at  New- 
York;  they  had  come  to  the  President  on  a  mission  from  tlieir 
nations.  The  house  was  in  Broadway.  A  little  before 
dinner,  two  or  three  of  the  Sachems,  with  their  chief  or  prin- 
cipal man,  went  into  the  balcony  at  the  front  of  the  house,  the 
drawing  room  being  up-stairs.  From  this  tliey  had  a  view 
of  the  city,  tlie  harbour, X^ong-Island,  &e,  &c.    After  remain- 


136  A   STAB   IN   THE   ME  ST. 

ing  there  a  sliort  time,  they  returned  into  the  room,  apparent- 
ly dejected ;  but  the  chief  more  than  the  rest.  General  Knox 
took  notice  of  it,  and  said  to  him,  brother !  what  has  happened 
to  you  ? — You  look  sorry ! — Is  there  any  thing  to  distress  you  ? 
He  answered — I'll  tell  you  brother.  I  have  been  looking  at 
your  beautiful  city — the  great  water — your  fine  country — and 
see  how  happy  you  all  are.  But  then,  I  could  not  help  think- 
ing, that  this  fine  country  and  this  great  water  were  once  ours. 
Our  ancestors  lived  here — they  enjoyed  it  as  their  own  in 
peace — it  was  the  gift  of  the  great  spirit  to  them  and  their 
children.  At  last  the  white  people  came  here  in  a  great  ca- 
noe. They  asked  only  to  let  them  tie  it  to  a  tree,  lest  the 
waters  should  carry  it  away — we  consented.  Tliey  tlien  said 
some  of  their  i)eople  were  sick,  and  they  asked  permission  to 
land  them  and  put  them  under  the  shade  of  the  trees.  The 
ice  then  came,  and  they  could  not  go  away.  They  then  beg- 
ged a  piece  of  land  to  build  wigwams  for  the  winter~we  grant- 
ed it  to  them.  They  then  asked  for  some  corn  to  keep  them 
from  starving — we  kindly  furnished  it  to  them,  they  promising 
to  go  away  when  the  ice  was  gone.  When  this  happened,  we 
told  them  they  must  now  go  away  with  their  big  canoe;  but 
they  pointed  to  their  big  guns  round  their  wigwams,  and  said 
they  would  stay  tliere,  and  we  could  not  make  them  go  away. 
Afterwards,  more  came.  They  brouglit  spirituous  and  intox- 
icating liquoi^  with  them,  of  which  the  Indians  became  very 
fond.  They  persuaded  us  to  sell  them  some  land.  Finally 
they  drove  us  back,  from  time  to  time,  into  the  wilderness, 
far  from  the  water,  and  the  fish  and  the  oysters — they  hare 
destroyed  the  game — our  people  have  wasted  away,  and  now 
we  live  miserable  and  wretched,  whils  you  are  enjoying  our 


A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST*  ia7 

line  and  beautiful  country.     This  makes  me  sorry  brother ! 
and  I  cannot  help  it.'^ 

But  to  proceed,  the  colour  of  the  Indians,  generally  speak- 
ing, was  red,  brown,  or  copper  coloured,  differing  according 
to  climate,  high  and  low  grounds.  They  are  universally  at- 
tached to  their  colour,  and  take  every  mean  in  their  power 
to  increase  it,  prefering  it  to  the  white.  They  give  a  name 
to  the  white  people,  which  is  highly  contemptuous ;  it  is  that 
of  an  heterogenous  animal.  Sometimes  when  they  aim  at 
greater  severity,  that  of  <<  the  accursed  peopleJ^  The  hotter  or 
colder  the  country  is  where  the  Indians  have  long  resided, 
the  greater  proportion  have  they  of  the  white  or  red  colour  | 
this  is  asserted  by  Adair  from  personal  experience.  He  has 
compared  the  Shawanoh  Indians  with  the  Chikkasaw,  and 
found  them  much  fairer,  though  their  endeavours  to  cultivate 
the  copper  colour  were  alike*  He  thinks  the  Indian  colour 
to  be  the  effect  of  climate,  art  and  manner  of  living*  Tlieir 
tradition  says,  that  in  the  country  far  west,  from  which  they 
came,  all  the  people  wore  of  one  colour ;  and  they  are  ignor- 
ant which  was  the  primitive  colour.  Adair  has  seen  a  white 
man,  who,  by  his  endeavors  to  change  his  colour,  became  as 
deeply  coloured  as  any  Indian  in  the  camp,  after  he  had  been 
in  the  woods  only  four  years.  The  Indians  to  the  Southward 
are  often  of  a  deeper  hue  than  those  to  the  northward ;  in 
a  high  country  they  incline  to  a  lighter  tinge ;  but  then  those 
to  the  northward  are  more  ignorant,  and  less  knowing  in  their 
traditions,  rites^  and  religious  customs.  The  like  change  is 
not  unknown  in  Europe  and  Asia.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
northern   countries,  in  many   instances,  arc  comparatively 

fairer  than  those  of  the  southern  countries* 
T 


138  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

In  the  soutli  the  Indians  are  tall,  erect  and  rohust^— th.cir 
limbs  are  well  shaped,  so  as  generally  to  form  a  perfect  human 
figure.  They  delight  in  painting  tliemselves,  especially  with 
red  or  vermilion  colour.  They  are  remarkably  vain,  and 
suppose  themselves  the  first  people  on  earth.  The  Five  Na- 
tions called  themselves  *  Ongnje-honwe,  that  is,  men  surpassing 
all  others,  the  only  beloved  people  of  the  great  spirit,  and  his 
pecnliar  people.  But  as  to  their  common  mode  of  living,  they 
are  generally  all  great  slovens — they  seldom  or  ever  wash 
their  shirts. 

It  is  a  matter  of  fact,  proved  by  most  historical  accounts, 
that  the  Indians,  at  our  first  acquaintance  with  them,  gener- 
ally manifested  themselves  kind,  hospitable  and  generous  to 
the  Europeans,  so  long  as  they  were  treated  with  justice  and 
humanity  5  but  when  they  were,  from  a  thirst  of  gain,  over- 
reached on  every  occasion,  their  friends  and  relations  treach- 
erously entrapped  and  carried  away  to  be  sold  for  slaves ; 
themselves  injuriously  oppressed,  deceived  and  driven  from 
their  lawful  and  native  possessions ;  what  ought  to  have  been 
expected,  but  inveterate  enmity,  hereditaiy  animosity,  and  a 
spirit  of  perpetual  revenge.  To  whom  should  be  attributed 
the  evil  passions,  cruel  practices,  and  vicious  habits  to  which 
they  are  now  changed,  but  to  those  who  first  set  them  the  ex- 
ample; laid  the  foundation,  and  then  furnished  the  continual 
means  for  propagating  and  supporting  the  evil. 

In  a  very  early  day,  in  the  colony  of  Virginia,  the  first 
settlers,  by  their  great  imprudence,  had  soured  the  Indian 
temper,  raised  their  jealousies,  and  provoked  their  free  and 
independent  spirits,  so  as  to  lead  them  to  determine  on  the 
extirpation  of  the  wFiole  colony — then  few,  weak  and  divided. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  139 

The  Indians  managed  their  intended  attack  with  so  much 
secrecy,  that  they  surprised  the  colonists  in  every  quarter, 
and  destroyed  near  one  fourth  of  them.  In  their  turn,  the 
survivors  waged  a  destructive  w^ar  against  the  Indians,  and 
murdered  men,  women  and  children.  Dr.  Rohertson  says, 
<*  regardless,  like  the  Spaniards,  of  those  principles  of  faitli, 
honor  and  humanity,  which  regulate  hostilities  among  civil- 
ized nations,  and  set  hounds  to  tlieir  rage,  the  English  deem- 
ed every  thing  allowable  that  tended  to  accomplish  their  de- 
signs. Tiiey  hunted  the  Indians  like  wild  beasts,  rather  than 
enemies ;  and  as  the  pursuit  of  them  to  their  places  of  retreat 
in  the  woods,  w^as  both  difficult  and  dangerous,  they  endeav- 
oured to  allure  them  from  their  inaccessible  fastnesses,  by 
offers  of  peace,  and  promises  of  oblivion,  made  with  such  an 
artful  appearance  of  sincerity,  as  deceived^  the  crafty  Indian 
chief,  and  induced  the  Indians  to  return  in  the  year  1623,  to 
their  former  settlements,  and  resume  their  usual  peaceful 
occupations.  The  behaviour  of  the  two  people  seemed  now 
to  be  perfectly  reversed.  The  Indians,  like  men  acquainted 
with  the  principles  of  integrity  and  good  faith,  on  which  the 
intercourse  between  nations  is  founded,  confided  in  the  recon- 
ciliation, and  lived  in  absolute  security,  without  suspicion  of 
danger,  while  tlie  English,  with  perfidious  craft,"  were  pre- 
paring to  imitate  savages  in  their  revenge  and  cruelty. 

"  On  the  approach  of  harvest,  when  a  hostile  attack  t\  ould 
be  most  formidable  and  fatal,  the  English  fell  suddenly  on  all 
the  Indian  plantations,  murdered  every  person  on  whom  tljey 
could  lay  hold,  and  drove  the  rest  to  the  woods,  m  liere  so  many 
perished  with  hunger,  that  some  of  the  tribes  nearest  to  the 
English,  were  totally  extirpated.*' — History  of  North- Amer- 
ica, 96,  97. 


140  A    STAR   IS   THE    WEST. 

Robertson  again,  speaking  of  the  war  in  New-England, 
between  Connecticut  and  Providence,  in  their  first  attempt 
against  the  Pequod  Indians,  says,  "  that  the  Indians  had  se- 
cured their  town,  which  was  on  a  rising  ground  in  a  swamp^ 
with  pallisadcs.  The  New-England  troops,  unperceived, 
reached  the  pallisadcs.  The  barking  of  a  dog  alarmed  the  In- 
dians. In  a  moment,  however,  they  started  to  their  arms,  and 
raising  the  war-cry,  prepared  to  repel  the  assailants.  The 
English  forced  their  way  through  into  the  fort,  or  town,  and 
setting  fire  to  the  huts,  which  were  covered  with  reeds,  the 
confusion  and  terror  quickly  became  general.  Many  of  the 
women  and  children  perished  in  the  flames,  and  the  war- 
riors, endeavoring  to  escape,  were  either  slain  by  the  Eng- 
lish, or  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Indian  allies,  who  sur- 
rounded the  fort  at  a  distance,  were  reserved  for  a  more  cruel 
fate.  The  English  resolved  to  pursue  their  victory,  and  hunt- 
ing the  Indians  from  one  place  of  retreat  to  another,  some 
subsequent  encounters  were  hardly  less  fatal  than  the  fii^t 
action.  In  less  than  tliree  months,  the  tribe  of  the  Pcquods 
were  extirpated." — Ibid  184 — 5,  6. 

<•  Thus  the  English  stained  their  laurels,  by  the  use  they 
made  of  victory.  Instead  of  treating  the  Pequods  as  an  inde- 
pendent people,  who  made  a  gallant  effort  to  defend  the  pix)p- 
er'iy,  the  rights  and  freedom  of  their  nation,  they  retaliated 
upon  them  all  the  barbaiities  of  American  war.  Some  they 
massacred  in  cold  blood,  others  they  gave  up  to  be  tortured  by 
their  Indian  allies,  a  considerable  number  they  sold  as  slaves 
in  Bermuda,  the  rest  were  reduced  to  servitude  among  them- 
selves." 


i 


A    STAB   IN   THE    WEST.  14>1 

What  I  am  about  mentioning,  may  be  considered  as  of  little 
force  while  standing  by  itself,  yet  when  connected  with  so 
many  other  circumstances,  it  is  thought  worth  mentioning. 
This  nation  of  Pequods  were  a  principal  nation  of  the  east, 
and  very  naturally  reminds  one  of  the  similarity  of  the  same 
name  in  Jeremiah  1.  21,  where  the  inhabitants  of  Pekod  are 
particularly  mentioned ;  and  also  in  Ezekid  xxiii.  23.  The 
difference  in  spelling  one  with  a  k,  and  the  other  with  a  (/,  is 
mo  uncommon  thing.  The  Indian  languages  being  very  gut- 
tural, the  k  is  generally  used  where  an  Englishman  would 
use  the  q — but  many  of  the  first  names  used  by  the  English 
in  an  early  day  have  been  corrected.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
says  his  "  first  landing  in  America  was  at  Roanor,  which 
afterwards  was  found  to  be  called  by  the  Indians,  Roanoke. 
Another  trifling  observation  in  itself,  yet  will  add  to  the  pre- 
sumption already  mentioned,  is  the  original  name  of  a  point 
of  land  on  the  western  part  of  the  Euxine  or  Black  Sea,  men- 
tioned by  D'Anville,  JVagara.  This  is  the  Abydos  of  the 
Greeks,  1  D'Anville,  287,  and  is  much  the  same  with  the 
point  in  Lake  Ontario,  in  New- York  state,  well  known  by  the 
Indian  name  J\'*iagara. 

But  if  this  character  of  the  Indians,  as  originally  being  kind 
and  hospitable,  should  be  doubted,  as  I  know  it  will  be  by 
many,  who  think  themselves  well  acquainted  with  then?,  from 
being  with  the  present  race  around  our  settlements  ,•  let  us 
go  back  and  hear  what  idea  Christopher  Columbus  formed  of 
them  in  the  very  beginning  of  our  knowledge  of  them.  He 
must  be  the  very  best  witness  that  can  be  produced  on  this 
subject.  In  his  account,  sent  to  his  royal  master  and  mis- 
tress, of  the  inhabitants,  on  his  first  landing  in  America,  he 


142  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

says,  "  I  swear  to  your  majesties,  that  there  is  not  a  hettcr 
people  in  the  world  than  these;  more  affectionate,  affable,  or 
mild.  They  love  their  neighbours  as  themselves.  Their 
language  is  tlie  swecttst,  the  softest  and  most  cheerful,  for 
they  always  speaking  smiling."  In  another  instance,  a  ven-  ^jM 
crablc  old  man  approached  Columbus  with  great  reverence,  ^ 
and  presented  him  with  a  basket  of  fruit,  and  said,  "  you  are 
come  into  tliese  countries,  with  a  force  against  which,  were 
we  inclined  to  resist,  resistance  would  be  folly.  We  are  all 
therefore  at  your  mercy.  But  if  you  are  men  subject  to  mor- 
tality like  ourselves,  you  cannot  be  unapprised,  that  after  this 
life,  there  is  another,  wherein  a  very  different  portion  is  allot- 
ted to  good  and  bad  men.  If  therefore,  you  expect  to  die,  and 
believe  with  us,  that  every  one  is  to  be  rewarded  in  a  future 
I  state,  according  to  his  conduct  in  the  present,  you  will  4o  no 
hurt  to  those  who  do  none  to  you."— -Edwards'  West-Indies, 
1  vol.72. 

De  las  Casas,  bishop  of  Chapia,  who  spent  much  time  and 
labour  anvong  the  Indians  of  New  Spain,  trying  to  serve  them, 
says,  '•  I  was  one  of  the  first  who  went  to  America.  Neither 
curiosity,  nor  interest  prompted  me  to  undertake  so  long  and 
dangerous  a  voyage.  The  saving  the  souls  of  the  heathen 
was  my  sole  object.  Why  was  I  not  permitted,  even  at  the 
expense  of  my  blood,  to  ransom  so  many  thousands  of  souls, 
who  fell  unhappy  victims  to  avarice  and  lust.  It  was  said 
tliat  barbarous  executions  were  necessary  to  punish  or  check 
the  rebellion  cf  the  Americans.  But  to  w liom  was  this  owing  ? 
Did  not  this  people  receive  the  Spaniards,  who  first  came 
among  them,  with  gentleness  and  humanity  ?  Did  they  not 
shew  more  joy  in  proportion,  in  iavisliing  treasure  upon  them. 


A   STAR  IN  THE   A\'E8T.  14S 

tlmn  the  Spaniards  did  greediness  in  receiving  it.  But  o\w 
avarice  was  not  yet  satisfied.  Though  they  gave  up  to  us 
their  lands  and  their  riclies,  we  woiihl  take  from  them  their 
wives,  their  chiklren  and  their  liberty.  To  blacken  the  char- 
acters of  these  unhappy  people,  their  enemies  assert  that  they 
are  scarce  human  creatures.  But  it  is  we  wlio  ought  to  blush 
for  having  been  less  men,  and  more  barbarous  than  they. 
They  are  represented  as  a  stupid  people,  and  addicted  to  vice. 
But  have  they  not  contracted  most  of  their  vices  from  the 
examples  of  christians.  But  it  must  be  granted  that  the 
Indians  still  remain  untainted  with  many  vices  usual  among 
Europeans.  Such  as  ambition,  blasphemy,  swearing,  treach- 
ery, and  many  such  monsters,  which  have  not  yet  taken  place 
among  them.  They  have  scarce  an  idea  of  them.  All  na- 
tions are  equally  free.  One  nation  has  no  riglit  to  infringe 
on  the  freedom  of  another.  Let  us  do  to  these  people,  as  w^c 
would  have  them  have  done  to  us,  on  a  change  of  circum- 
stances. AVhat  a  strange  method  is  this  of  propagating  the 
gospel ;  that  holy  law  of  grace,  which,  from  being  slaves  to 
Satan,  initiates  us  into  tlie  freedom  of  the  children  of  God." 

The  Abbe  Clavige|'o,  another  Spanish  writer,  confirms  this 
idea  of  the  South-Americans.  "  We  have  had  intimate  con- 
verse, says  he,  with  the  Americans;  have  lived  some  yeai^ 
in  a  seminary  destined  for  their  instruction — attentively  ob- 
served their  character — their  genius- — their  disposition  and 
manner  of  thinking;  and  have  besides,  examined  with  the 
utmost  diligence,  their  ancient  history — ^their  religion — their 
government — ^their  laws  and  their  customs.  After  sucli  long 
experience  and  study  of  them,  we  declare,  that  the  mental 


14*  A    STAR   IN   THE    "WEST. 

qualities  of  tlie  Amcric«ans  are  not  in  the  least  inferior  to  those 
of  the  Europeans." 

Amon^j^  the  many  instances  of  provocation  given  to  tliem  by 
the  white  people,  Nea),  in  his  History  of  New-England,  page 
21,  says,  "one  Hunt,  an  early  trader  with  the  Indians  of 
New-England,  after  a  prosperous  trade  with  the  natives,  en- 
ticed between  tw  enty  and  tliirty  of  them  on  board  his  vessel, 
and  contrary  to  the  public  faith,  clapped  them  under  hatches, 
and  took  them  to  jNIalaga,  and  sold  tliem  to  the  Spaniards* 
This  the  remaining  Indians  resented,  by  revenging  them- 
selves on  the  next  English  vessel  that  came  on  their  coast." 

In  the  year  1620,  a  sermon  was  preached  at  Plymouth  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Cushman,  from  which  the  following  extract  is 
taken,  relative  to  the  treatment  they  received  from  the  na- 
tives. "  The  Indians  are  said  to  be  the  most  cruel  and 
treacherous  people  in  all  these  parts,  even  like  lions,  but  to 
us  they  have  been  like  lambs,  so  kind,  so  submissive  and 
trusty,  as  a  man  may  truly  say,  many  christians  are  not  so 
kind  or  sincere.  Though  when  w^e  came  first  into  this  coun- 
try we  were  few^,  and  many  of  us  very  sick,  and  many  died 
by  reason  of  the  cold  and  wet,  it  being  the  depth  of  winter, 
and  we  having  no  houses  or  shelter,  yet  when  there  were  not 
six  able  persons  among  us,  and  the  Indians  came  daily  to  us 
by  hundreds,  with  their  sachems  or  kings,  and  might  in  one 
hour  have  made  despatch  of  us ;  yet  such  fear  was  upon  them, 
as  that  they  never  offered  us  the  least  injury  in  word  or  deed* 
And  by  reason  of  one  Tisquanto,  that  lives  among  us,  and  can 
speak  English,  w^e  have  daily  commerce  with  their  kings, 
and  can  know  what  is  done  or  intended  towards  us  among  the 
savages." 


1 


A    STAR    IN   THE    WEST.  145 

I. 

Tlic  late  gova3iQ£.flutjyiuij3on,  in  liis  history  of  Ncw-Eng-l 
land,  observes,  ^<  tliat  the  natives  shewed  courtesy  to  the  \ 
English  at  their  first  arrival ;  were  hospitable,  and  made  such  | 
as  would  eat  their  food,  welcome  to  it,  and  readily  instructed 
them  in  planting  and  cultivating  the  Indian  corn.  Some  of 
the  English  who  lost  themselves  in  the  woodsy  and  must  other- 
wise have  perished  with  famine,  they  relieved  and  conducted 
home." 

Mr.  Penn,  also,  at  his  first  coming  amongst  them,  spoke 
and  wrote  of  them  in  high  tei*ms,  as  a  kind  and  benevolent 
people. 

The  history  of  Ncw*Jersey  informs  us,  that  •«  for  near  a 
century,  the  Indians  of  that  state  had  all  along  maintained  an 
intercourse  of  great  cordiality  and  friendship  with  the  inhabit-  \ 
ants,  being  interspersed  among  them,  and  frequently  receiv-  \ 
ing  meat  at  their  houses,  and  other  marks  of  their  good  will   I 
and  esteem." — Smith,  j)age  4i0. 

Father  Charlevoix,  who  travelled  early,  and  for  a  long  time 
among  the  Indians,  from  Quebec  to  New-Orleans,  and  had. 
great  opportunities,  which  he  made  it  his  business  and  study 
to  improve,  tells  us,  speaking  of  the  real  character  of  the  In- 
dian nations,  "  that  with  a  mien  and  appearance  altogether 
savage;  and  with  manners  and  custx)ms  which  favour  the 
greatest  barbarity,  they  enjoy  all  the  advantages  of  society. 
At  first  view,  one  would  imagine  them  without  form  of  gov- 
ernment, laws  or  subordination,  and  subject  to  the  wildest  ca- 
price. Nevertheless,  they  rarely  deviate  from  cert^jiiax- 
ims  and  usages,  founded  on  good  sense^alone,  which  holds  tlie 
place  of  law,  and  supplies  in  some  sort,  the  want  of  lega)  au- 
thority.   They  manifest  much  stability  in,  the  engagements 


Ii6  A    STAR    IN   THE    WEST. 

they  Iiavc  solemnly  entered  upon;  patience  in  affliction,  as 
well  as  submission  to  what  they  api)rehend  to  be  the  appoint- 
ment of  Providence ;  in  all  this  they  manifest  a  nobleness  of 
soul  and  constancy  of  mind,  at  which  we  rarely  arrive,  with 
all  our  pliilosopliy  and  religion.  They  are  neither  slaves  to 
ambition  nor  interest,  the  two  passions  that  have  so  much 
weakened  in  us  the  sentiments  of  humanity,  (which  the  kind 
author  of  nature  has  engraven  on  the  human  heart)  and  kind- 
led those  of  covetoiisness,  which  are  as  yet  generally  unknown 
among  them.'* 

It  is  notorious,  that  tlicy  are  generally  kinder  to  us,  though 
they  despise  us,  than  we  are  to  them.  There  is  scarce  an 
instance  occurs,  but  that  they  treat  every  white  man  who 
goes  among  them,  with  respect,  which  is  not  the  case  from  us 
to  them.  The  same  author  says,  "  the  nearer  view  we  take 
of  our  savages,  the  more  we  discover  in  them  some  valuable 
qualities.  The  cJiief  part  of  the  principles  by  which  they 
I'cgulate  tlieir  conduct;  the  general  maxims  by  wiiich  they 
govern  themselves ;  and  the  bottom  of  their  characters  have 
nothing  wliich  appears  barbarous.  The  ideas,  tliough  now 
quite  confused,  wliich  they  have  retained  of  a  first  Being;  the 
traces,  though  almost  effaced,  of  a  religious  jvorship,  whieli 
they  appear  formerly  to  have  rendered  to  the  Supreme  Deity, 
and  the  faint  marks  which  we  observe,  even  in  their  most 
indifferent  actions,  of  the  ancient  belief,  and  the  primitive  re- 
ligion, may  bring  them  more  easily  than  we  think  of,  into  the 
w^ay  of  truth,  and  make  their  conversion  to  Christianity  more 
easily  to  be  effected,  than  that  of  more  civilized  nations." 

But  what  surprises  exceedingly,  in  men  whose  whole  out- 
ward appearance  proclaims  nothing  but  barbarity,  is,  to  see 


A  STAR  m  THE  >yE9r.  I.i7 

Ihcm  behave  to  each  other,  witli  sucli  kindncssjind  regard, 
that  are  not  to  be  found  among  tlic  m()st  civ  ili^^qi^  ligations. 
Doubtless  this  proceeds,  in  some  measure,  from  the  words 
mine  and  thiiie,  being  as  yet  unknown  to  these  savages.  AVe 
are  equally  charmed  with  that  iiatiiral  a^mj^inaljcc^ 
which  reigns  in  all  tlieir  behaviour,  in  all  their  actions,  and 
in  the  greatest  part  of  their  diversions.  Also  with  the  civili- 
ty and  deference  they  shew  to  their  equals,  and  the  respect 
of  young  people  to  the  aged.  And  lastly,  never  to  see  them 
quarrel  among  themselves,  witli  those  indecent  expressions, 
oaths  and  curses,  so  common  among  us  ;  all  wliich  are  proofs 
of  good  sense  and  a  great  command  of  temper. ^^  In  short,  to 
make  a  brief  portrait  of  these  people,  with  a  savage  appear- 
ance, manners  and  customs,  which  arc  entirely  barbarous, 
there  is  observable  among  them,  a  socialjdndness,  free  from 
almost  all  the  imperfections  which  so  often  disturb  the  peace 
of  society  among  us.  They  appear  to  be  without  passion ; 
but  they  do  that  in  cold  blood,  and  some  times  througli  prin- 
ciple, which  the  most  violent  and  unbridled  passion  produces 
in  those  who  give  no  car  to  reason.  They  seem  to  lead  the 
most  wretched  life  in  the  world ;  and  yet  they  were,  perliaps, 
the  only  happy  people  on  earth,  before  the  knowledge  of  the 
objects  which  so  work  upon  and  seduce  us,  had  excited  in 
them,  desires  which  ignorance  kept  in  supineness  ^  but  which 
have  not  as  yet  (in  1730)  made  any  great  ravages  among 
them.  We  discover  in  them  a  mixture  of  tlie  fiercest  and 
most  gentle  manners.     The  impeifcctions  of  wild  beasts,  and 

*  Le  Page  Da  Pratz,  says,  "I  have  studied  these  Indians  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  years,  and  I  never  could  learn  that  there  ever  were  any  disputes  or  boxing 
matches  among  either  the  hoys  or  men.     2  vol.  165, 


lis  A    STAn   IS   THE    AVESr. 

the  virtues  and  qualities  of  the  lieart  and  mind  wliicli  do  the 
greatest  honour  to  human  nature. 

Du  Pratz,  in  his  history  ^of^JiOjiisiana,  says,  ^*that  upon 
an  acquaintance  with  the  Indians,  he  was  convinced  that  it 
was  wrong  to  denominate  them  savages,  as  they  are  capable 
of  making  good  use  of  their  reason,  and  their  sentiments  are 
just.  That  they  have  a  degree  of  prudence,  faithfulness  and 
generosity,  exceeding  tliat  of  nations  who  would  be  oifcnded  ' 
at  being  compared  with  them.  !No  people,  says  he,  are  more 
hospitable  and  free  than  the  Indians.  Hence  they  may  be 
esteemed  a  happy  people,  if  that  happiness  was  not  impeded 
by  their  passionate  fondness  for  spii'ituous  liquors,  and  the  fool- 
ish notion  they  hold,  in  common  witli  many  professing  chris- 
tians, of  gaining  reputation  and  esteem  by  their  prowess  in 
war."  But  to  whom  do  they  owe  their  uncommon  attachment 
to  both  these  evils  ?  Is  it  not  to  the  white  people  who  came 
to  them  with  destruction  in  each  hand,  while  we  did  but  de- 
ceive ourselves,  witli  the  vain  notion,  that  we  were  bringing 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  tliem.  Instead  of  tliis,  we 
have  possessed  tliese  unoffending  people  with  so  horrid  an 
idea  of  our  principles,  that  among  themselves  they  call  us  the 
accursed  jjcople,  '^^And  their  great  numbers,  when  first  discov- 
ered,  shew  that  they  had,  comparatively,  but  few  wars  before 
we  came  among  them.  ^ 

Mr.  William  Bartram,  a  gentleman  well  known  in  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania,  son  to  the  late  John  Bartram,  Esq.  so  long 
Botanist  to  Queen  Caroline,  of  England,  before  the  re}^olu- 
tion,  in  the  journal  of  his  travels  through  tlie  Creek  country, 
speaking  of  the  Siminoles  or  lower  Creek  nation,  and  of  their 
being  then  few^  in  number,  says,  *<  yet  this  handful  of  people 


A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST.  Ii9 

possess  a  vast  territory,  all  East  Florida  and  the  greatest  part 
of  West  Florida,  which  being  naturally  cut  and  divided  into 
thousands  of  islets,  knolls  and  eminences,  by  the  innumerable 
rivers,  lakes,  swamps,  savannas  and  ponds,  form  so  many  se- 
cure retreats  and  temporary  dwelling  places,  that  effectually 
guard  them  from  any  sudden  invasion  or  attacks  from  their 
■enemies.  And  being  such  a  swampy,  liammoky  country,  fur- 
nishes such  a  plenty  and  variety  of  supplies  for  the  nourish- 
ment of  every  sort  of  animal,  that  I  can  venture  to  assert, 
that  no  part  of  the  globe  so  abounds  with  wild  game  or  crea- 
tures fit  for  the  food  of  man.  Thus  they  enjoy  a  superabun- 
dance of  the  necessaries  and  conveniences  of  life  with  the  se- 
curity of  person  and  property,  the  two  great  concerns  of  man- 
kind. They  seem  to  be  free  from  want  or  desires.  No  cruel 
enemy  to  dread ;  nothing  to  give  them  disquietude  but  the 
gradual  encroachments  of  the  white  people.  Thus  contented 
and  undisturbed,  they  appear  as  blithe  and  free  as  the  birds 
of  the  air,  and  like  them  as  volatile  and  active,  tuneful  and 
vociferous.  The  visage,  action  and  deportment  of  a  Siminole, 
being  the  most  striking  picture  of  happiness  in  this  life — Joy, 
contentment,  love  and  friendship  without  guile  or  affectation, 
seem  inherent  in  them,  or  predominate  in  their  vital  princi- 
ple, for  it  leaves  them  but  with  the  last  breath  of  life." 

To  exemplify  their  kindness  to  strangers,  he  says,  that 
having  lost  his  way  in  travelling  through  their  towns,  he  was 
at  a  stand  how  to  proceed,  when  he  observed  an  Indian  man  at 
the  door  of  his  habitation,  beckoning  to  liim,  to  come  to  him. 
Bartram  accordingly  rode  up  to  Iiim.  He  cheerfully  welcom- 
ed him  to  his  house,  took  care  of  his  horse,  and  with  the  most 
graceful  air  of  respect  led  him  into  an  airy,  cool  apartment. 


150  .A    STAR   IN    TUE    WEST. 

where  being  seated  on  cabins,  bis  women  bronglit  in  a  re- 
fresliing  repast,  witli  a  pleasant  cooling  liquor  to  drink.  Then 
pipes  and  tobacco.  After  an  hour's  conversation,  and  Mr. 
Bartram  iniorming  him  of  his  business,  and  where  he  was 
bound,  but  having  lost  his  way,  lie  did  not  know  how  to  go  on. 
Tlie  Indian  cheerfully  replied,  that  he  was  pleased  that  Mr. 
B.  was  come  into  their  country,  wliere  he  should  meet  with 
friendship  and  protection;  and  tliat  lie  would  himself  lead 
him  into  the  right  path.  He  turned  out  to  be  the  prince  or 
chief  of  Whatoga.  How  long  would  an  Indian  Iiave  rode 
through  our  country,  before  he  would  have  received  such 
kindness  from  a  common  farmer,  much  less  a  chief  magistrate 
of  a  country  ?  INIr.  Bartram  adds  to  tlie  testimony  of  Father 
Charlevoix,  in  favour  of  their  good  characters  among  them- 
selves. He  says  they  are  just,  honest,  liberal  and  hospitable 
to  strangers ;  considerate,  loving  and  affectionate  to  their 
wives  and  relations ;  fond  of  their  children ;  frugal  and  per- 
severing ;  charitable  and  forbearing.  He  was  weeks  and 
months  among  them  in  their  towns,  and  never  observed  the 
least  sign  of  contention  or  wrangling ;  never  saw  an  instance 
of  an  Indian  beating  his  wife,  or  even  reproving  her  in  anger. 
Col.  John  Smith  sa^s,  "  when  we  had  plenty  of  green  corn 
and  roasting  ears,  the  hunters  became  lazy,  and  spent  their 
time  in  singing  and  dancing.  They  appeared  to  be  fulfilling 
tlie  scriptures,  beyond  many  of  those  who  profess  to  believe 
tliem,  in  that  of  taking  no  thought  for  to-morrow,  but  in  liv- 
ing in  love,  peace  and  friendship,  without  disputes.  In  this 
k\st  respect  they  are  an  example  to  those  who  profess  Chris- 
tianity— page  29. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  151 

The  first  and  most  cogent  article  in  all  theii*  late  treaties 
with  the  white  people  is,  "  that  there  shall  not  be  any  kind  of 
spirituous Jiquors  brougiit  or  sold  in  their. fowns;  and  the 
traders  are  allowed  but  ten  gallons  for  a  company,  which  are 
esteemed  sufficient  to  serve  them  on  their  journey;  and  if 
any  of  this  remains  on  their  arrival,  they  must  spill  it  on  the 
ground."  Mr  B.  met  two  young  traders  running  about  forty 
kegs  of  Jamaica  spirits  into  the  nation.  They  were  discover- 
ed by  a  party  of  Creeks,  who  immediately  struck  their  toma- 
hawks into  every  keg,  and  let  the  liquor  run  out,  without 
drinking  a  drop  of  it.  Here  was  an  instance  of  self  denial, 
seldom  equalbd  by  white  men,  for  so  fond  are  they  of  it,  that 
had  they  indulged  themselves  with  tasting  it,  nothing  could 
have  prevented  them  from  drinking  the  whole  of  it.  Mr.  B. 
saw  a  young  Indian  who  was  present  at  a  scene  of  mad  in- 
temperance and  folly,  acted  by  some  wliite  men  in  the  town. 
He  clapped  his  hand  to  his  breast,  and  with  a  smile  looking 
up,  as  if  struck  with  astonishment,  and  wrapt  in  love  and 
adoration  of  the  Deity,  lamented  their  conduct. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  give  some  ideas  of  the  Indian 
char^ter,  at  the  first  arrival  of  the  EurQi)eans  among  them, 
before  they  were  debauched  and  demoralized  by  an  acquaint- 
ance with  those  who  pretend  to  be  their  benefactors,  by  com- 
municating to  them  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  through  Jesus 
Christ.  \Yq  have  exhibited  the  testimony  of  the  best  wi'itei's, 
from  various  parts  of  the  continent,  acquainted  with  very  dif- 
ferent nations,  from  the  south  to  the  north.  It  is  given  ^cn-  . 
erally  in  the  authors  own  words,  lest  we  iinght  be  charged 
with  misrepresenting  their  meaning,  by  adopting  our  own 
language,  or  putting  a  gloss  on  theirs;  and  our  design  has 


152  A   STAR   IN  THE   WEST. 

been,  that  the  reader  may  be  made  acquainted  with  the  i>eo- 
ple  of  wliom  we  treat.  We  must  confess,  that  we  have  given 
the  fairest  part  of  their  character,  wliile  at  home  and  among 
their  friends,  though  a  perfectly  just  one. 

The  objects  which  engage  their  attention,  and  indeed  their 
whole  souls,  are  war  and  hunting.  Their  haughty  tempers 
will  not  condescend  to  labour— this  they  leave  to  their  women. 
Hence  they  put  on  rather  a  solemn  character,  except  when 
they  divert  themselves  with  their  principal  amusements,  dan- 
dng  and  gaming.  But  in  war,  and  while  opposing  the  ene- 
mies of  their  nation,  they  are  cruel  and  revengeful.  They 
make  war  with  unrelenting  fury,  on  the  least  unatoned  atFront, 
equal  to  any  European  nation  whatever.  It  is  their  custom 
and  long  continued  liabit.  They  kill  and  destroy  their  own 
species  without  regret.  The  warrior  is  the  highest  object 
of  their  ambition.  They  are  bitter  in  their  enmity>  and  to 
avenge  the  blood  of  a  kinsman,  they  will  travel  hundreds  of 
miles,  and  keep  theii*  anger  for  years,  till  they  are  satisfied.* 
Thej  scalp  all  the  slain  of  their  enemies  (as  many  of  the 
Asiatics  did)  that  they  get  in  their  power,  contrary  to  the 
usage  of  all  other  savages.f  They  usually  attack  their  ene- 
mies with  a  most  hedious  and  dreadful  yelling,  so  as  to  make 
the  woods  to  ring.  Very  few  of  the  ablest  troops  in  the  world 
can  withstand  tlie  horror  of  it,  who  are  strangers  to  them,^ 
and  have  not  before  been  acquainted  with  this  kind  of  recep- 
tion.    Tliey  are  kind  to  women  and  children  whom  they  take 

*  The  murderer  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.  The  avenger  of  blood,  lumself, 
slull  slay  the  murderer;  wheu  he  nieeteth  him,  he  shall  slay  him. — Numbers 
XXXV.  18,  19. 

+  David  speaks  of  the  hoary  scalps  of  his  eaeiaies. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  153 

prisoners,  and  are  remarkable  for  their  delicacy,  in  their 
ti'carment  of  the  first.  To  such  prisoners  as  they,  by  certain 
Fules,  doom  to  death,  they  are  insultingly  cruel  and  ferocious 
beyond  imagination ;  and  their  women  are  most  ingenious  and 
artful  in  the  science  of  tormenting.  All  this  is  mutual,  and  it 
is  distressing  to  say,  with  truth,  that  it  is  too  much  like  the 
practice  of  those  who  call  themselves  a  more  enlightened  peo- 
ple. Had  the  Indians  read  Lucarj-js  Pharsalia — lib.  iii.  400, 
which  contains  the  description  of  the  Massilian  Grove  of  the/ 
Gallic JJryids,  wherein  they  would  have  found  every  tree  reek-^ 
ing  with  the  blood  of  human  victims — or  had  they  been  ac- 
quainted with  the  British  Druids,  "  who  indeed  seem  to  have 
exceeded,  if  possible,  their  heathen  neighbours,  in  savage 
ferocity  and  boundless  lust  of  sacrificial  blood,  they  would 
have,  indeed,  been  able  to  settle  accounts  with  their  wliite 
neighbours.  The  page  of  history  trembles  to  relate  the  bale- 
ful orgies  of  the  Druids,  wliich  their  frantic  superstition  cele- 
brated, when  enclosing  men,  women  and  children,  in  one  vast 
wicker  image,  in  the  form  of  a  man,  and  filling  it  with  every 
kind  of  combustible,  they  set  fire  to  the  huge  colossus.  While 
the  dreadful  holocaust  was  offering  to  their  sanguinary  gods^ 
the  groans  and  shrieks  of  the  consuming  victims  were  drowned 
amidst  shouts  of  barbarous  triumph,  and  the  air  was  rent  with 
the  wild  dissonance  of  martial  music." — 1  vol.  of  Indian  An- 
tiquities. Or  had  the  Indians  read  of  the  emperor^^laxi- 
minian  putting  to  death  the  Theban  legion  of  six  thousand, 
six  hundred  and  sixty-six  christian  soldiers,  who  had  served  \ 
him  faithfully,  because  they  refused  to  do  sacrifice  to  the 
heathen  gods,  and  persecute  their  brother  christians — Caves 

primitive  christ.  S31 — or  had  they  been  acquainted  with  the 
X 


15 it  A   STAR   IN   THE   ^VEST. 

tortures  of  the  martyrs  for  Christ,  for  many  centuries — or 
the  European  practice  of  burning  heretics* — or  had  they 
heard  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenscs — of  St.  Bartholomews: 
night,  or  the  Irish  massacre.    Tiiey  might  be  ignorant  of  the 
bloody  torments  of  the  Inquisition,  the  tortures  of  Amboyna, 
01'  of  a  Frencli  Republican  Baptism — or  they  may  never  have 
been  informed  of  the  district  of  La  Vendee — of  the  Convent 
of  Carmes,  or  of  the  proceedings  in  France  on  the  12th  Au- 
gust—or of  the  more  than  diabolical,  cowardly  murder,  by 
the  enlightened  citizens  of  Pennsylvania,  fi'om  the  county  of 
Washington,  when  a  whole  to^n  of  chmtian  Indians,  consist- 
ing of  about  nijiety,.^ouls2  5i€j»,  women  and  diiW         were 
butchered  in  cold  blood,  at  Muskingum,  in  the  year  1733  f 
and  who  had  been  our  tried  friends  during  the  whole  revolu- 
tionary war.     If  the  Indians  had  known  these  facts,  and  writ- 
ten the  history  of  the  civilized  white  people,  they  might  have 
roused  the  feelings  of  a  tender  conscience  in  their  favour. 
But   whoever  reads  the  history  of  the  eulogized  heroes  of 
ancient  days,  will  find  them  not  much  better,  in  this  respect. 
Does  Achille-s  behaviour  to  Hectors  dead  body,  appear  less 
savage  or  revengeful  ?    Do  the  Carthagenians  or  Phoenicians, 
burning  their  own  children  alive  in  sacrifice,  or  the  bloody 
massacres  and  tortures  of  the  southern  Indians,  by  the  learned 
and  civilized  Spaniards,  claim  any  great  preference  in  pohit 
of  humanity  and  the  finer  feelings  of  the  enlightened  sons  of 
science,  and  of  the  pretenders  to  religious  knowledge. 

*  Will  any  one  again  laugh  at  the  strong  observation  of  an  eminent  divine,  *  that 
man  iu  a  state  of  natui-e,  was  half  Uevil  and  half  brute' — Clarkcs'  Com.  131.  VfiiQ 
will  not  adore  the  God  of  heaven  with  gratitude  and  thanksgiving,  for  the  light  of 
the  gosi)el,  whicln  has  not  only  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light,  but  wrough' 
so  wonderful  a  change  among  the  present  nations  of  the  earth. 


A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST,  155 

But  let  us  come  nearer  home.  Who  set  them  the  example 
^f  cruelty  and  harbarity,  even  to  those  whom  they  invaded  and 
plundered  of  their  property — deprived  of  their  lands,  and  rcn-  , 
dered  their  whole  country  a  scene  of  horror,  confusion  and  f 
distress,  Wynne,  in  his  history  of  America,  tells  us,  **  that 
the  New-England  people,  in  an  early  day,  as  we  have  already  \^ 
seen,  made  an  attack  upon  the  Pequod  Indians,  and  drove  ' 
eight  hundred  of  them,  with  about  two  hundred  of  their 
women  and  children,  into  a  swamp — a  foa:  arisina',  tlic  men 
escaped,  except  a  few,  who  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 
But  the  helpless  women  and  children  were  obliged  to  surren- 
der at  discretion.  I'he  sachem's  wife,  who  some  time  before, 
had  rescued  the  Weathcrsfield  maidens,  and  returned  them 
home,  was  among  them.  She  made  two  requests,  which  arose 
from  a  tenderness  and  virtue  not  common  among  savages. 
1st.  That  lier  chastity  might  remain  unviolated.  2d.  That  her 
children  miglit  not  be  taken  from  her.  The  amiable  sweet- 
ness of  her  countenance,  and  tlie  modest  dignity  of  her  deport- 
ment, were  worthy  of  the  character  she  supported  for  inno- 
cence and  justice,  and  were  sufficient  to  shew  the  Europeans, 
that  even  barbarous  nations,  sometimes  produce  instances  of 
heroic  virtue.  It  is  not  said  by  the  historian,  whether  her 
requests  were  granted  or  not,  but  that  tlie  women  and  chil- 
dren were  dispersed  through  the  neighbouring  colonies,  the 
male  infants  excepted,  who  were  sent  to  the  Bermudas" — 
1  vol.  66.  Indeed,  had  the  Indians,  on  their  part,  been  able 
to  answer  in  writing,  they  might  have  formed  a  contrast  be- 
tween themselves  and  their  mortal  enemies,  the  civilized  sub- 
jects of  Great-Britain.  They  might  have  recapitulated  their 
conduct  in  the  persecution  of  Indians^  witches  and  quakers  in 


156  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

New-England — Indians  and  Mgroes  in  New- York,  and  tlie 
cruelty  with  which  the  aborigines  were  treated  in  Virginia. 

These  inA^aders  of  a  country,  (in  the  peaceable  possession  of 
a  free  and  happy  people,  entirely  independent,  as  the  deer  of 
of  the  forests)  made  war  upon  them,  with  all  the  advantage 
of  fire-arms  and  the  military  knowledge  of  Europe,  in  the 
most  barbarous  manner — not  observing  any  rules  of  nations, 
or  tlie  principles  of  modern  warfare,  much  less  the  benign  in- 
junctions of  the  gospel.  They  soon  taught  the  Indians  by 
their  fatal  examples,  to  retaliate  witli  tlie  most  inveterate 
malice  and  diabolical  cruelty.  The  civilized  Europeans, 
thougli  flying  from  the  persecution  of  the  old  world,  did  not 
hesitate  to  deny  their  professed  religion  of  peace  and  good 
will  to  men,  by  murdering  men,  women  and  children — selling 
captives  as  slaves — cutting  off  the  heads,  and  quartering  the 
bodies  of  those  who  were  killed,  nobly  fighting  for  their  liber- 
ty and  their  country,  in  self  defence,  and  setting  them  up  at 
various  places,  in  ignoble  triumpli  at  their  success.  Philip, 
an  independent  sovereign  of  the  Pequods,  who  disdained  to 
submit,  but  died  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  men,  had  his  head 
I  cut  off  and  carried  on  a  pole  with  great  rejoicings,  to  New- 
\  Plymouth,  where,  W^vjiiie  J^ys,  his  skull  is  to  be  seen  to  this 
1  day  .—Vide  1  vol.  106  to  108. 

I  This  conduct  produced  greater  violence  and  barbarity  on 
the  part  of  the  other  nations  of  Indians  in  the  neighbourhood, 
often  joined  by  French  Europeans  who  acted,  at  times,  worse 
than  the  native  Indians,  and  by  this  means,  a  total  disregard 
of  promises  and  pledged  faith  on  both  sides,  became  common. 
Ibid.  1^—6. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    \VRST.  157 

I  do  not  quote  these  instances  of  inhuman  conduct  to  justify 
the  Indians,  but  only  to  shew  that  they  were  not  the  only 
savages,  and  that  the  blame,  as  is  too  common,  ought  not  to 
fall  all  on  one  side,  because  they  were  vanquished,  but  should 
produce  some  commiseration  and  principles  of  christian  be- 
nevolence towards  these  highly  injured  and  suffering  sons  of 
the  wilderness.  In  the  beginning  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
the  Americans  were  constantly  styled  by  their  invaders  as 
rebels;  and  had  we  been  conquered,  I  have  little  doubt  but 
that  we  should  have  been  treated  much  as  the  Indians  have 
been,  with  the  difference  of  having  been  hanged,  instead  of 
being  scalped  and  beheaded.  But  as  we  proved  successful, 
by  the  good  providence  of  God,  we  are  now  glorious  asserters 
of  liberty  and  the  freedom  of  man. 

The  conduct  of  the  Israelites  themselves,  while  in  a  state 
of  civilization,  and  under  the  government  of  a  king,  and  with 
the  prophets  of  God  to  direct  and  teach  them,  did  not  discover 
a  much  better  spirit  than  these  supposed  Israelites,  wTetched 
and  forlorn,  in  the  wilderness  of  America,  have  done.  "  When 
Ahaz,  king  of  Judah,  had  sinned  against  God,  he  delivered 
him  into  tlie  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria  ,•  and  he .  was  also 
delivered  into  the  hand  of  Pekah,  king  of  Israel,  who  smote 
him  with  a  great  slaughter,  and  slew  in  Judah  one  hundretl 
and  twenty  thousand  in  one  day,  who  were  all  valiant  men — 
2  Chron.  xxviii.  5.  And  the  children  of  Israel  carried  away 
captive,  of  their  brethren,  two  hundred  thousand  women,  sons 
and  daughters ;  took  also  much  spoil  from  them,  and  brought 
t!ie  spoil  to  Samaria.  But  a  prophet  of  the  Lord  was  there, 
whose  name  was  Oded,  and  he  went  out  before  the  host  that 
came  into  Samaria,  and  said  unto  tliem,  "behold, because  the 


158  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

Lord  Gocl  of  your  fathers  was  wroth  with  Judah,  and  hath 
delivered  tlieni  into  your  hands,  and  ye  have  slain  them  in  a 
rage,  that  reaclieth  up  to  heaven — And  now  ye  purpose  to 
keep  under  the  children  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  for  bond- 
men and  bond-women  unto  you ;  but  are  these  not  Mith 
you,  even  with  you,  sins  against  tlie  Lord  your  God  ?  Now 
hear  me,  therefore,  and  deliver  the  captives  again,  which  ye 
have  taken  captive  of  your  brethren ;  for  the  fierce  wrath  of 
the  Lord  is  upon  you." 

Here  we  cannot  have  tlie  same  hopes  of  tracing  the  present 
practices  of  the  natives  of  the  woods  to  any  certain  source,  as 
is  in  the  case  of  their  languages.  When  a  people  change 
fi-om  a  settled,  to  a  wandering  state,  especially,  if  thereby 
they  be  totally  removed  from  any  connection  or  intercoui^e 
with  civilized  countries,  they  must  necessarily  accommodate 
their  actions  to  their  then  pressing  wants  and  necessities. 

Their  practices  must  change  with  their  circumstances. 
Not  so  their  language;  for  although  it  may  gi-eatly  alter, 
and  often  degenerate  for  want  of  cultivation,  or  by  separating 
into  parties,  far  removed  from  each  other ;.  yet  the  roots  and 
principles  of  the  language,  may  in  remote  ages,  be  traced  in 
the  different  dialects,  so  as  to  afford  tolerable  proof  of  the 
original  language. 

If  a  people,  before  their  emigration,  had  any  knowledge  of 
the  arts  and  sciences,  although  this  might,  and  indeed  would 
lead  them,  even  in  a  wandering  state,  to  discover  more  inge- 
nuity and  method  in  providing  for  their  wants,  yet  in  after 
ages,  as  they  separated  from  each  other  and  colonized  into 
distant  parts,  tliey  would  loose  this  knowledge,  and  finally, 
know  notliing  of  them  but  by  tradition,  except  so  far  as  should 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  159 

fall  within  their  means  and  absolute  wants ;  which  in  the  first 
case  must  be  few,  and  in  the  other  many  and  pressing.  So 
that  we  may  reasonably  conclude,  that  the  first  wanderers 
would  leave  much  greater  evidence  of  their  original,  as  well 
as  of  their  knowledge  of  the  mechanical  arts,  than  their  pos- 
terity could  possibly  do.  And  further,  that  the  nearer  to  the 
place  of  their  first  permanent  settlement,  the  greater  would 
be  the  remains  of  those  arts. 

However,  we  will  endeavour  to  search  into,  and  enumerate 
those  few  customs  that  we  have  any  account  of,  which  pre- 
vailed with  them  when  the  Europeans  first  arrived  among 
them,  and  some  of  which  they  still  retain. 

We  do  not  mean  to  take  up  the  silly  and  ridiculous  stories 
published  by  many  w^riters  on  this  subject,  who  either  had 
particular,  and  often  wicked  ends  to  answer  by  their  publica- 
tions, or  they  founded  their  naiTatives  on  information  received 
on  the  most  transient  acquaintance  of  a  few  hours,  with  the 
vicious  and  worthless  among  tlie  Indians  along  our  frontiei^ ; 
nor  shall  we  trust  to  accounts  related  by  ignorant  tradei^, 
who  did  not  comprehend  either  the  idiom  of  their  language,  or 
the  strong  metaphorical  and  figurative  mode  of  expressing 
themselves.  This  has  led  to  the  most  false  and  absurd  ac- 
counts of  both  Indian  manners  and  language.  To  give  one 
instance  of  this,  though  among  the  best  of  them,  the  following 
fact  is  extracted  from  an  account  given  of  the  Mohawks  in 
1664,  by  a  reverend  gentleman  who  ought  to  have  known 
better,  and  must  have  had  an  education,  and  known  the  prin- 
ciples of  grammar;^  "  This  nation,  says  he,  has  a  very  heavy 
language,  and  I  find  great  difficulty  in  learning  it,  so  as  to 
speak  and  preach  to  them  fluently.    There  are  no  christian}?? 


160  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

who  understand  their  language  thoroughly.  AVhen  I  am 
among  them,  I  ask  them  how  things  are  called.  One  will 
tell  me  a  word  in  the  infinitive  mood,  another  in  the  indica- 
tive. One  in  the  fiist,  another  in  the  second  person.  One 
in  the  present,  another  in  the  preterperfect  tense ;  so  that  I 
stand  sometimes  and  look ;  hut  do  not  know  how  to  put  it 
down.  And  as  they  have  their  declensions  and  conjugations, 
so  tliey  liave  their  increases,  like  the  Greeks;  and  I  am 
sometimes,  as  if  I  was  distracted,  and  cannot  tell  wliat  to  do, 
and  there  is  no  person  to  set  me  riglit.  I  asked  the  commissa- 
ry of  the  (Dutch  West-India  company)  what  this  meant,  and 
he  answered  lie  did  not  know,  hut  imagined  they  changed 
their  language  every  two  or  three  years."  He  had  been  con- 
nected with  them  twenty  years. 

The  Indians  are  perfect  republicans,  tliey  will  admit  of  no 
inequality  among  them  but  what  arises  from  age,  or  great 
qualifications  for  either  council  or  war.  Although  this  is  the 
case  in  peace,  yet  in  war  they  observe  great  discipline,  and 
perfect  subordination  to  their  beloved  man  wlio  carries  the 
holy  ark,  and  to  their  officers,  who  are  appointed  on  account 
of  the  experience  they  have  had  of  tlieir  prowess  in  war,  and 
good  conduct  in  the  management  and  surprising  of  an  enemy, 
or  saving  their  men  by  a  timely  retreat;  but  this  subordina- 
tion ends  with  the  campaign. 

As  the  Israelites  were  divided  into  tribes,  and  had  a  chief 
over  them,  and  always  marched  under  ensigns  of  some  ani- 
mal peculiar  to  each  tribe,  so  the  Indian  nations  are  univei^- 
ally  divided  into  tribes,  under  a  sachem  or  king,  chosen  by 
the  people  from  the  wisest  and  bravest  among  them.  He  has 
neither  influence  or  distinction,  but  from  his  ^^1sdom  and  pru- 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  161 

deuce.  He  is  assisted  by  a  council  of  old,  wise  and  beloved 
men,  as  they  call  their  priests  and  councillors.  Notliing  is 
determined  (of  a  public  nature)  but  in  this  council,  where 
every  one  has  an  equal  voice.  The  cliief  or  sachem,  sits  in 
the  middle,  and  tlie  council  on  eacli  Jiand,  forming  a  semi-cir- 
cle, as  the  high  priest  of  the  Jews  did  in  the  Sanhedrim  of 
tliat  nation. 

Mr.  Penn,  when  he  first  arrived  in  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
year  1683,  and  made  a  treaty  with  them,  makes  the  following 
observations,  in  a  letter  he  then  wrote  to  liis  friends  in  Eng- 
land. ^^  Every  king  has  his  council,  and  that  consists  of  all 
the  old  and  v/ise  men  of  liis  nation,  which  perhaps  are  two 
hundred  people.  Nothing  of  moment  is  undertaken,  be  it  war, 
peace,  selling  of  land,  or  trafiic,  without  advising  with  them. 
'Tis  admirable  to  consider  how  powerful  the  chiefs  are,  and 
yet  hov/  they  move  by  the  breath  of  the  people.  I  have  had 
occasion  to  be  in  council  w-ith  them  upon  treaties  for  land,  and 
to  adjust  the  terms  of  trade.  Their  order  is  thus;  the  king 
sits  in  the  middle  of  an  half  moon,  and  hath  his  council,  the 
old  and  the  wise  on  each  hand.  Behind  them,  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, sit  the  young  fry,  in  the  same  figure.  Having  con- 
sulted and  resolved  their  business,  the  king  ordered  one  of 
them  to  speak  to  me.  He  came  to  me,  and  in  the  name  of 
his  king,  saluted  me.  Then  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  told 
me  that  he  was  ordered  by  his  king  to  speak  to  me ;  and  that 
now  it  was  not  he,  but  the  king  who  spoke,  because  what  he 
sho'dd  say  was  the  king's  mind.  During  the  time  this  person 
was  speaking,  not  a  man  of  them  was  observed  to  w  hisper  or 
smile.  The  old  were  grave — the  young  reverend  in  their 
deportment.     They  spoke  little,  but  fervently  and  with  ele- 


162  A   STAU    IN   THE    WEST. 

gaiice.  He  will  deserve  the  name  of  7vise,  who  out-wits  them 
in  any  treaty  about  a  thing  they  understand.  At  every  sen- 
tence fliey  shout,  and  say  amen,  in  their  way." 

Mr.  Smith,  in  his  history  of  New-Jersey,  confirms  this  gen- 
eral statement.  "  They  are  grave  even  to  sadness,  upon  any 
common,  and  more  so  upon  serious  occasions — observant 
of  those  in  company,  and  respectful  to  the  aged — of  a  temper 
cool  and  deliberate — never  in  haste  to  speak,  hut  wait,  for  a 
certainty,  that  the  person  who  spake  before  them,  had  finish- 
ished  all  he  had  to  say.  They  seemed  to  hold  European 
vivacity  in  contempt,  because  they  found  such  as  came  among 
them,  apt  to  interrupt  each  other,  and  frequently  speak  alto- 
gether. Their  behaviour  in  public  councils  was  strictly  de- 
cent and  instructive.  Every  one  in  his  turn,  was  heard,  ac- 
cording to  rank  of  years  or  wisdom,  or  services  to  his  country. 
Not  a  word,  whisper  or  murmur,  was  heard  while  any  one 
spoke  :  no  interruption  to  commend  or  condemn :  the  younger 
sort  were  totally  silent.  Those  denominated  kings,  wer^ 
sachems  distinguished  by  their  wisdom  and  good  conduct. 
The  respect  paid  them  was  voluntary,  and  not  exacted  or 
looked  for,  nor  the  omission  regarded.  The  sachems  direct- 
ed in  their  councils,  and  had  the  chief  disposition  of  their 
lands" — page  142,  144. 

Every  nation  of  Indians  have  certain  customs,  which  they 
observe  in  their  public  transactions  with  other  nations,  and  in 
their  private  affairs  among  themselves,  which  it  is  scandalous 
for  any  one  among  them  not  to  observe.  And  these  always 
draw  after  them,  either  public  or  private  resentment,  when 
ever  they  are  broken.  Although  these  customs  may,  in  their 
detail,  differ  in  one  nation,  when  compared  with  another;  yet 


A   STAR   I^   Tim    WEST.  163 

it  IS  easy  to  discern  that  tliCy  liave  all  had  one  origin.  This 
is  also  apparent  from  every  nation  understanding  tliem,  Mr. 
Colden  says  "  their  great  men,  botli  sachems  and  captains. 
are  generally  poorer  than  the  common  people ;  for  they  affect 
to  give  away,  and  distribute  all  the  presents  or  plunder  they 
get  in  their  treaties,  or  in  war,  so  as  to  leave  nothing  to  them- 
selves. There  is  not  a  man  in  the  ministry  of  the  Five  Na- 
tions (of  whom  Mr.  Colden  was  writing)  who  has  gained  his 
office  otherwise  than  by  merit.  There  is  not  the  least  salary, 
or  any  sort  of  profit  annexed  to  any  office,  to  tempt  the  covet- 
ous or  the  sordid ;  but  on  the  contrar}^,  every  un\vorthy  action 
is  unavoidably  attended  with  the  forfeiture  of  their  commis- 
sion ;  for  their  authority  is  only  tlie  esteem  of  the  people,  and 
ceases  the  moment  that  esteem  is  lost.  An  old  Mohawk 
sachem,  in  a  poor  blanket  and  a  dirty  shirt,  may  be  seen  issu- 
ing his  orders,  with  as  arbitrary  an  authority  as  a  Roman  die- 
tator." 

As  every  nation,  as  before  observed,  has  its  peculiar  stand- 
ard or  symbol,  as  an  eagle,  a  bear,  a  wolf  or  an  otter,  so  has 
each  tribe  the  like  badge,  from  which  it  is  denominated. 
When  they  encamp,  on  a  march,  they  always  cut  the  repre- 
sentation of  their  ensign  or  symbol,  on  the  trees,  by  which  it 
may  be  known  who  have  been  there.  The  sachem  of  each 
tribe  is  a  necessary  party  in  all  conveyances  and  treaties,  to 
which  he  affixes  the  mark  of  his  tribe,  as  a  corporation  does 
that  of  the  public  seal. 

If  you  go  from  nation  to  nation,  you  will  not  find  one  who 
doth  not  lineally  distinguish  himself  by  his  respective  family. 
As  the  family  or  tribe  of  the  eagle,  jmnihcr,  (which  is  their 
lion)  iyger,  huffalOf  (their  ox  or  bull) — and  also  tlie  hcaVf  de^r. 


161.  A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST. 

racoon,  &c.  &c.  So  among  the  Jews,  was  the  lion  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah — Ban  was  known  by  a  seiyent — Issachar  by  an  ass, 
and  Benjamin  by  a  wolf.  But  the  Indians,  as  the  Jews,  pay 
no  religious  respect  for  any  of  these  animals,  or  for  any  other 
whatever. 

They  reckon  time  after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrews.  They 
divide  the  year  into  spring,  summer,  autumn,  or  the  falling 
of  the  leaf,  and  winter.  Korali  is  tlieir  word  for  winter  with 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  as  it  is  with  the  Hebrews.  They 
number  the  years  by  any  of  these  four  periods,  for  they  have 
no  name  for  a  year.  And  they  subdivide  these,  and  count 
the  year  by  lunar  months,  or  moons,  like  the  Israelites,  who 
also  counted  by  moons.  They  call  the  sun  and  moon  by  the 
same  word,  with  the  addition  of  day  and  night,  as  the  day 
sun,  or  moon — ^the  night  sun,  or  moon.  They  count  the  day 
by  three  sensible  differences  of  the  sun,  like  the  Hebrews — 
as  the  sun  coming  out — mid-day,  and  the  sun  is  dead,  or  sun- 
set. Midnight  is  half  way  between  the  sun  going  in  and 
coming  out  of  the  water — also  by  mid-night  and  cock-crowing. 
They  begin  their  ecclesiastical  year  at  the  first  appearance 
of  the  first  new  moon  of  the  vernal  equinox,  according  to  the 
ecclesiastical  year  of  Moses.  They  pay  great  regard  to  the 
first  appearance  of  every  new  moon.  They  name  the  various 
seasons  of  the  year  from  the  planting  and  ripening  of  the 
fruits.  The  green  eared  moon  is  the  most  beloved  or  sacred, 
when  the  first  fruits  become  sanctified,  by  being  annually 
offered  up ;  and  from  this  period  they  count  their  beloved  or 
holy  things. 

The  number,  and  regular  periods  of  the  Indian  public  re- 
ligious feasts,  (as  will  be  seen  hereafter)  is  a  good  historical 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  165 

proof  that  they  counted  time,  and  observed  a  weekly  Sabbath, 
lon.i^  after  their  arrival  on  the  American  continent,  as  this  is 
applicable  to  all  the  nations.  Till  the  seventy  years  captivity 
commenced,  according  to  Dr.  Prideaux,  the  Israelites  had 
only  numeral  names  for  the  solar  and  lunar  montlis,  except 
two  called  Abib  and  Ethanaim.  The  former  signifies  a  green 
car  of  corn,  and  the  latter  robust  and  valiant.  And  by  the 
first  name  the  Indians  term  tlieir  passover,  as  an  explicative, 
and  which  the  trading  people  call  the  green  corn-dance. 
These  two  months  were  equinoctial.  AMb^  or  the  present 
J^isan  of  the  Jews,  was  the  sixth  month  of  the  civil,  and  first 
of  the  ecclesiastical  year,  answering  to  our  March  or  April ; 
and  Ethanaim,  which  began  the  civil  year,  was  the  sixth  of 
the  ecclesiastical,  the  same  as  our  September  and  October. 

Mr.  Bartram  says,  while  he  was  at  Attassc,  in  the  Creek 
liation,  on  a  Sabbath  day,  he  observed  a  great  solemnity  in 
the  town,  and  a  remarkable  silence  and  retiredness  of  the 
red  inhabitants.  Few  of  them  were  to  be  seen — the  doors  of 
their  dwellings  were  shut,  and  if  a  child  chanced  to  stray  out, 
it  was  quickly  drawn  in  doors  again.  He  asked  the  meaning 
of  this,  and  was  immediately  answered,  that  it  being  the 
white  people's  sabbath,  the  Indians  kept  it  religiously  sacred 
to  the  great  spirit.  The  writer  of  this  being  present  on  the 
Lord's  day,  at  the  worship  of  seven  different  nations,  who 
happened  (accidentally)  to  be  at  the  seat  of  government  to- 
gether, he  was  pleased  to  sec  tlieir  orderly  conduct.  They 
were  addressed  by  an  old  sachem,  apparently  with  great  en- 
ergy and  address..  An  interpreter  being  present,  he  asked 
him  to  explain  what  the  speaker  had  said.  The  intrepreter 
answered  that  the  substance  of  what  he  delivered,  was  a 


166  A    STAR   I^'    THE    WEST. 

wanu  representation  to  bis  audience,  of  the  love  the  greai 
spirit  had  always  manifested  towai'ds  the  Indians,  more  than 
to  any  other  people.  That  tliey  were  in  a  special  manner, 
under  his  government  and  immediate  direction.  That  it  was. 
therefoi-e,  the  least  return  they  could  make  for  so  much  good- 
ness, gratefully  to  acknowledge  his  favour,  aBd  to  he  obedient 
to  his  laws — to  do  his  will,  and  to  avoid  every  thing  that  was 
evil,  and  of  course  displeasing  to  him. 

Just  before  the  service  began,  the  \NTiter  of  this  observed 
an  Indian  standing  at  the  window  with  tlie  intrepreter,  look- 
ing into  a  small  field  adjoining  the  house,  where  a  great  many 
white  childi*en  were  playing  with  tlie  Indian  children,  and 
making  a  considerable  noise.  The  Indian  sp(.»ke  much  in 
earnest,  and  seemed  rather  displeased.  The  interpreter  an- 
swered him  with  gi'eat  apparent  interest.  On  being  asked 
the  subject  of  their  convei^ation,  he  said  the  Indian  was 
lamenting  the  sad  state  of  those  white  cliildren,  whom  he 
called  poor  destitute  orphans.  The  interpreter  asked  why  he 
thought  tliom  orphans?  For  he  believed  it  was  not  tnie.  Tlic 
Indian,  with  great  earnestness,  replied,  is  not  this  tlie  day  on 
which  you  told  nie  tlie  wliite  people  worehipped  tlie  great 
spiiit?  If  so,  surely  these  children,  if  they  had  parents,  or 
any  persons  to  take  care  of  tliem,  would  not  be  suffered  to  be 
out  there,  playing  and  making  such  a  noise.  Xol  no!  they 
have  lost  their  fathei-s  and  their  motliei^s.  and  have  no  one  to 
take  care  of  them. 

Allien  tlie  Indians  travel,  tliey  always  count  the  time  by 
sleeps,  whicli  is  a  very  ancient  custom,  and  perhaps  may  have 
been  derived  from  the  Mosaic  method  of  counting  time,  mak- 
ing: the  cvenins:  and  the  moniins:  to  be  the  fii*st  dav,  Sao, 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  167 

They  Iiave  also  an  ancient  custom  of  setting  apart  'certain 
houses  and  towns,  as  places  of  refuge,  to  which  a  criminal, 
and  even  a  captive  may  fly,  and  be  safe  from  the  avenger  of 
blood,  if  he  can  but  enter  it. 

^jLr.  Bartram  says,  "  we  arrived  at  the  Apalaehuela  town, 
in  the  Creek  nation.  This  is  esteemed  the  mother  town, 
sacred  to  peace.  No  captives  are  put  to  death,  or  hum^i 
blood  spilt  hcre.'^ 

The  Chcrokees,  according  to  Adair,  though  now  exceed- 
ingly corrupt,  still  observe  the  law  of  rcfiige,  so  inviolably, 
that  tliey  allow  their  beloved  town  the  privilege  of  protecting 
a  wilful  murderer;  but  they  seldom  allow  him  to  return  home 
from  it  in  safety. 

The  town  of  refuge  called  Choate^  is  situate  on  a  large 
stream  of  tlie  Missisippi,  five  miles  above  where  fort  Loudon 
formerly  stood.  Here  some  years  ago,  a  brave  Englishman 
was  protected,  after  killing  an  Indian  warrior,  in  defence  of 
his  property.  He  told  Adair,  that  after  some  months  stay 
there,  lie  intended  returning  to  his  liouse  in  the  neiglibour- 
hood ;  but  the  chiefs  told  him  it  would  prove  fatal  to  him.  So 
he  was  obliged  to  continue  there,  till  he  satisfied  the  friends 
of  the  deceased,  by  presents  to  their  full  satisfaction.  In  the 
upper  country  of  the  Muskoge,  there  was  an  old  beloved  town 
called  Koosah,  now  reduced  to  a  small  ruinous  village,  wliicli 
is  still  a  place  of  safety  for  those  who  kill  undesignedly. 

In  almost  every  Indian  nation,  there  are  several  peaceable 
towns,  which  are  called  old  beloved,  holy  or  white  towns. 
They  seem  to  have  been  formerly  towns  of  refuge,  for  it  is  not 
within  the  memory  of  their  oldest  people,  that  ever  human 


168  A    STAR   IX   THE    WEST. 

blood  was  shed  in  them ;  although  they  often  force  persons 
from  them,  and  put  them  to  death  elsewhere. 

It  may  be  thouglit  improper  here,  to  say  much  of  the  war- 
like abilities  and  military  knowledge  of  the  Indians,  as  it  is 
very  popular,  especially  with  Europeans,  to  despise  them 
as  warriors,  by  wliicli  means  thousands  of  Europeans  and 
Americans  liave  lost  their  lives.  But  as  it  may  shew  tliat 
they  are  not  quite  so  ignorant  as  strangers  to  them  have 
thought  tiiem,  a  slioi't  account  of  their  military  conduct,  may 
illucidate  our  general  subject. 

I  am  assisted  by^^col^  Sjnitlj^who  lived  long  with  them,  and 
often  fought  against  them,  in  what  may  be  said  on  this  occa- 
sion. 

How  ever  despised,  they  are,  perhaps,  as  well  versed  in  the 
art  of  that  kind  of  war,  calculated  for  their  circumstances,  and 
are  as  strict  disciplinarians  in  it,  as  any  ti'oops  in  Europe ; 
and  w  henever  opposed  by  not  more  than  two  or  three  to  one 
Indian,  they  have  been  generally  victorious,  or  come  off  w  itli 
small  loss,  while  they  have  made  their  opponents  repent  tlieir 
rashness  and  ignorance  of  war  on  their  plan.  And  indeed, 
they  were  always  victorious  over  European  troops,  till  sad 
experience  taught  foreign  officers  to  pay  more  respect  to  the, 
advice  of  ximcrican  officers,  w  ho,  by  adopting  the  Indian  prin- 
ciples of  war,  knew^  how  to  meet  them  with  advantage.  It  is 
not  sufficient  for  an  army  to  be  well  disciplined  on  their  own 
principles,  without  considering  those  of  the  enemy  they  are  to 
contend  with.  Braddock,  Boquet,  and  several  others  of  great 
celebrity  in  their  own  country,  have  been  defeated  or  sur- 
prised, by  a  (comparatively)  small  number  of  these  inhabit- 
ants of  the  wilderness,  and  greatly  suffered  from  despising 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  1G9 

what  they  thouglit  untutored  savages ;  and  to  save  the  honor 
and  military  character  of  those  who  commanded,  have  been 
led  to  give  \ery  false  reports  of  tlie  combats.  The  following 
facts  will  give  force  to  these  observations — 

"In  col.  Boquet's  last  campaign  of  176i,  I  saw,  (says  C(A, 
Smitli)  the  official  return  miide  by  the  British  officers,  of  the  { 
number  of  Indians  that  were  in  arms  agaitist  us  in  that  year,' 
which  amounted  to  thirty  thousand.  As  I  was  then  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  British  service,  I  told  them  I  was  of  opinion,  that 
there  were  not  above  one  thousand  in  arms  against  us,  as 
they  were  divided  by  Broadstreet's  army,  being  then  at  Lake 
Erie.  The  British  officers  hooted  at  me,  and  said  that  they 
could  not  make  England  sensible  of  the  difficulties  they  labour- 
ed under  in  fighting  them;  and  it  was  expected  that  their 
troops  could  fight  the  undisciplined  savages  in  America,  five 
to  one,  as  they  did  the  East-Indians,  and  therefore  my  report 
would  not  answer  their  purpose,  as  they  could  not  give  an 
honorable  account  of  the  war,  but  by  augmenting  their  num- 
bers.'^ 

Sniith  was  of  the  opinion,  that  from  Braddock's  defeat,  unr  \ 
til  the  time  of  his  writing,  there  never  were  more  tlian  three  1 
thousand  Indians,  at  any  time  in  arms  against  us,  west  of  Fo^J  1 
Pitt,  and  frequently  not  more  than  half  of  that  number 

According  to  the  Indians'  own  account,  during  the  whole  of 

Braddock's  war,  or  from  1755  to  1758,  they  killed  and  took 

fifty  of  our  people  for  one  that  they  lost.     In  the  war  of  1763, 

they  killed,  comparatively,  few  of  our  people,  and  lost  more  of 

theirs,  as  the  frontier  inhabitants,  especially  the  Virginians, 

had  learned  something  of  their  method  of  war;  yet  even  in 
Z 


170  A   STAR   IX   THE   WEST. 

this  war,  according  to  their  account  (which  Smith  helieved  to 
he  true)  they  killed  and  took  ten  of  our  people  for  one  they 
lost. 

The  Indians,  though  few  in  number,  put  the  goverament  to 
immense  expense  of  blood  and  treasure,  in  the  war  from  1756 
to  1791.  The  following  campaigns  in  the  western  country, 
will  be  proof  of  tliis. 

General  Braddock's  in  the  year  1755 — eol.  Armstrong's 
against  the  Cattaugau  town,  on  the  Alleghany,  in  1757 — gen, 
Forbes'  in  1758 — ^gen.  Stanwix's  in  1759 — gen.  Monckton's  in 
1760 — col.  Boquet's  in  1761 — and  again  in  1763,  when  he 
fought  the  battle  of  Brushy-Run,  and  lost  above  one  hundred 
men ;  but  by  taking  the  advice  and  assistance  of  the  Virginia 
volunteers,  finally  drove  the  Indians — col.  Armstrong's  up  the 
west  brancli  of  Susquehannah  in  the  same  year — gen.  Broad- 
street's  up  Lake  Erie  in  1764 — col.  Boquet's  at  Muskingum, 
at  the  same  time — lord  Dunmore's  in  1774 — gen.  M*Intosh's 
in  1778,  and  again  in  1780 — col.  Bowman's  in  1779 — ^gen. 
Clark's  in  1782 — and  against  the  Wabash  Indians  in  1786— 
gen.  Logan's  against  tlie  Shawanese  in  the  same  year,  and 
col.  Harmer's  in  1790 — ^gen.  Wilkinson's  in  1791 — gen.  St. 
Clair's  in  1791,  and  gen.  Wayne's  in  1794,  which  in  all  are 
twenty-three  campaigns,  besides  smaller  expeditions,  such  as 
the  French-Creek  expedition,  colonels  Edward's,  Loughrie's, 
&;c.  All  these  were  exclusive  of  the  numbers  of  men  who 
were  internally  employed  as  scouting  parties,  in  erecting 
forts,  guarding  stations,  &c.  &c. 

When  we  take  the  foregoing  account  into  consideration,  may 
we  not  reasonably  conclude,  that  the  Indians  are  the  best  dis- 
ciplined troops  in  the  world,  especially  when  we  consider,  that 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  171 

the  ammunition  and  arms  that  tlioy  arc  ohligcd  to  use,  are  of 
tlie  worst  sort,  without  bayonets  or  cartouch  boxes.  No  arti- 
ficial means  of  carrying  either  baggage  or  provision,  whilfe 
their  enemies  have  every  warlike  implement,  and  other  re- 
sources, to  tlie  utmost  of  their  desire.  Is  not  that  tlie  best 
discipline,  that  has  the  greatest  tendency  to  annoy  an  enemy, 
and  save  their  own  men  ?  It  is  apprehended  tliat  the  Indian 
discipline  is  better  calculated  to  answer  their  purpose  in  the 
Avoods  of  America,  than  the  British  discipline  in  the  plains  of 
Flanders.  British  discipline,  in  the  woods,  is  the  way  to 
liave  men  slaughtered,  with  scarcely  any  chance  to  defend 
themselves. 

Pnvates. 

The  Indians  sum  up  their  art  of  war  thus — "  The  business 
of  the  private  warrior  is  to  be  under  command,  or  punctually 
to  obey  orders — to  learn  to  march  a-breast  in  scattered  order, 
so  as  to  be  in  readiness  to  surround  the  enemy,  or  to  prevent 
being  surrounded — to  be  good  marksmen,  and  active  in  the 
use  of  their  musket  or  rifle— to  practice  runnings — to  learn  to 
endure  hunger  or  hardships  with  patience  and  fortitude — to 
tell  the  truth  at  all  times  to  their  officers,  more  especially 
when  sent  out  to  spy  the  enemy." 

Concerning  Officers* 

They  say  that  it  would  be  absurd  to  appoint  a  man  to  an 
office,  whose  skill  and  courage  had  never  been  tried — ^that  all 
officers  should  be  advanced  only  according  to  merit — that  no 
single  man  sliould  have  the  absolute  command  of  an  army — 
that  a  council  of  officers  should  determine  when  and  how  an 
attack  is  to  be  made — that  it  is  the  duty  of  officers  to  lay 
plans,  and  t«  take  every  advantage  of  tlie  enemy— to  ambush 


172  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

and  surprise  them,  and  to  prevent  the  like  to  themselves.  It 
is  the  duty  of  officers  to  prepare  and  deliver  speeches  to  the 
men,  in  order  to  animate  and  encourage  them,  and  on  a 
inarch  to  prevent  the  men,  at  any  time,  getting  into  an  hud- 
dle, because  if  the  enemy  s^lould  surround  them  in  that  posi- 
tion, they  would  be  greatly  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire.  It 
is  likewise  their  business,  at  all  times,  to  endeavour  to  annoy 
the  enemy,  and  save  their  own  men;  and  tlierefore  ought 
never  to  bring  on  an  attack  without  considerable  advantage,^ 
or  without  what  appeared  to  them  to  insure  victory,  and  that 
with  a  loss  of  but  few  men.  And  if  at  any  time  they  should 
be  mistaken  in  this,  and  are  likely  to  lose  many  men  in  gain- 
ing the  victory,  it  is  their  duty  to  retreat,  and  wait  for  a  bet- 
ter opportunity  of  defeating  their  enemy,  without  the  danger  of 
losing  so  many  men."  Their  conduct  proves  that  they  act 
on  these  principles. 

This  is  the  statement  given  by  those  who  are  experimen- 
tally acquainted  with  them,  and  as  long  as  the  British  officers 
despised  both  Indians  and  Americans,  who  had  studied  their 
art  of  war,  and  formed  tliemselvcs  on  the  same  plan,  they 
were  constantly  beaten  by  those  soldiers  of  nature,  though 
seldom  one  fourth  of  the  number  of  the  British.  But  the  Brit- 
ish officers  had  one  advantage  of  them.  •  That  was  the  art  of 
drawing  up  and  reporting  to  their  superiors,  plans  of  their  bat- 
tles, and  exaggerated  accounts  of  their  great  success,  and  the 
immense  loss  of  the  Indians,  which  were  never  thought  of  till 
long  after  the  battle  was  over,  and  often  while  they  were 
smarting  under  their  severe  defeat  or  surprise. 

The  writer  of  this  could  give  some  instances,  if  it  would  an- 
answer  any  ^ood  end,  that  came  under  his  own  knowledge. 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  17S 

When  the  Indians  determine  on  war  or  hunting,  tliey  hare 
stated  preparatory,  religious  ceremonies,  for  purification,  par- 
ticularly by  fasting,  as  the  Israelites  had. 

Father  Charlevoix  gives  an  account  of  this  custom  in  his 
time.  In  case  of  an  intention  of  going  to  war,  he  who  is  to 
command  does  not  commence  the  raising  of  soldiers,  till  he  has 
fasted  several  days,  during  which  he  is  smeared  with  black- 
has  no  conversation  with  any  one — invokes  by  day  and  night, 
his  tutelar  spirit^  and  above  all,  is  very  careful  to  observe  his 
dreams.  The  fast  being  over,  he  assembles  his  friends,  and 
with  a  string  of  wampum  in  his  hands,  he  speaks  to  them  after 
this  manner.  Brethren !  tlie  great  spirit  authorizes  my  senti^ 
ments,  and  inspires  m.e  with  what  I  ought  to  do.*     The  blood 

of is  not  wiped  away— his  body  is  not  covered,  and  I  will 

acquit  myself  of  this  duty  towards  him,"  &;c. 

Mi\_JiMCeiizie  in  some  measure,  confirms  this  account, 
though  among  different  nations.  ^^  If  the  tribes  feel  them-  / 
selves  called  upon  to  go  to  war,  the  elders  convene  the  people 
in  order  to  obtain  the  general  opinion.  If  it  be  for  war,  the 
chief  publishes  his  intention  to  smoke  in  the  sacred  stem  (a 
pipe)  at  a  certain  time.  To  tliis  solemnity,  meditation  and 
fasting  are  required  as  preparatory  ceremonials.  When  the 
people  are  thus  assembled,  and  the  meeting  sanctified  by  tlic 

*  This  shews  the  mistakes  committed  hy  writers  who  do  not  Intimately  under- 
stand the  idiom  of  the  Indian  languages.  Above  it  is  said,  "^'that  the  warrior  in- 
voked his  tutelar  s]>irit,"  but  by  this  address,  it  is  plain  that  it  was  the  great  spirit. 
So  the  translator  of  Charlevoix,  calls  a  string  of  wampum,  of  which  the  war-belts 
are  made,  a  collar  of  beads.  Great  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  ignorance  of 
both  travellers  and  writers.  The  secrecy  of  Indinns,  in  keeping  all  their  religions 
rites  from  the  knowledge  of  white  people,  lest  they  should  defile  them  by  their 
presence,  adds  mu-h  to  their  difficulty.  And  Charlevoix  being  a  religious  TJowoan, 
Catholic,  easily  slid  into  the  idea  of  an  attendant  spirit. 


17*  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

custom  of  smoking  (this  may  be  in  imitation  of  t!ie  smoke  ol 
the  incense  offered  on  the  altar  of  the  Jews)  the  chief  en- 
larges on  the  causes  which  have  called  them  together,  and  the 
necessity  of  the  measures  proposed  on  the  occasion.  He  then 
invites  them  who  are  willing  to  follow  him,  to  smoke  out  of 
the  sacred  stem,  which  is  considered  as  a  token  of  enrolment.*' 
A  sacred  feast  then  takes  place,  and  after  much  ceremony, 
usual  on  the  occasion,  "  the  chief  turning  to  the  east,  makes  a 
speech  to  e^xplain  more  fully  the  design  of  their  meeting,  then 
concludes  with  an  acknowledgment  for  past  mercies  received, 
2nd  a  prayer  for  the  continuance  of  them,  from  the  master  of 
life.  He  then  sits  down,  and  the  whole  company  declare  their 
approbation  and  thanks  by  uttering  the  word  Ho  /"  (in  a  very 
hoarse,  guttural  sound,  being  the  third  syllable  of  the  beloved 
name,  <<  with  an  emphatic  prolongation  of  tlie  last  letter. 
The  chief  then  takes  up  the  pipe,  and  holds  it  to  the  mouth  of 
the  officiating  person,"  (like  a  priest  of  the  Jews,  with  the  in- 
cense) "  who  after  smoking  three  whiffs,  utters  a  short  prayer, 
and  then  goes  round  with  it  from  east  to  west,  to  every  per- 
son present."  The  ceremony  then  being  ended,  "  he  returns 
the  company  thanks  for  their  attendance,  and  wishes  them, 
as  well  as  the  whole  tribe,  health  and  long  life." 

Do  not  tlicse  practices  remind  the  reader  of  the  many  direc- 
tions in  the  Jewish  ritual,  commanding  the  strict  purification, 
or  sanctifying  individuals  about  to  undertake  great  business, 
\  or  to  enter  on  important  offices. 

Adair,  who  had  greater  opportunities  of  knowing  the  real 
character  of  the  Indians  to  tlie  southward,  than  any  man  that 
has  ever  written  on  the  subject,  gives  the  following  account. 
^«  Before  i\\(^  Indians  go  to  war,  they  have  many  preparatory 


A   STAR  IX   THE    WEST.  175 

ceremonies  of  purification  and  fasting,  like  what  is  recorded 
utilie  Israelites.  When  the  leader  hegins  to  heat  up  for  vol- 
unteers, he  goes  three  times  round  his  dark  winter  house, 
contrary  to  the  course  of  the  sun,  sounding  the  warwhoop, 
singing  the  war  song,  and  heating  a  drum.*  He  addresses 
the  ci'oud,  who  come  ahout  him,  and  after  much  ceremony,  lie 
proceeds  to  wlioop  again  for  the  warriors  to  come  and  join 
him,  and  sanctify  themselves  for  success  against  the  common 
enemy,  according  to  their  ancient  religious  law.  A  nuniher 
soon  join  him  in  his  winter  house,  where  they  live  separate 
from  all  others,  and  purify  themselves  for  the  space  of  three 
days  and  three  nights,  exclusive  of  the  first  broken  day.  On 
each  day  they  observe  a  strict  fast  till  sunset,  watching  the 
young  men  very  narrowly  (who  have  not  been  initiated  in 
war  titles)  lest  unusual  hunger  should  tempt  them  to  violate 
it,  to  the  supposed  danger  of  all  their  lives  in  tlie  war,  by  de- 
stroying the  power  of  their  purifying,  beloved  physic,  whicli 
they  drink  plentifully  during  that  time.  They  are  such  strict 
observers  of  their  law  of  purification,  and  think  it  so  essential 
in  obtaining  health  and  success  in  war,  as  not  to  allow  tlie 
best  beloved  trader  that  ever  lived  among  them,  knowingly, 
to  enter  the  beloved  ground  appropriated  to  the  duty  of  being 
sanctified  for  war,  much  less  to  associate  with  the  camp  in  the 
woods,  at  such  a  time,  though  he  is  united  witii  them  in  the 
same  war  design.  They  oblige  him  to  walk  and  encamp  sepa- 
rately by  himself,  as  an  impure,  dangerous  animal,  till  tlie 
leader  hath  purified  him,  according  to  the  usual  time  and  meth- 
od, with  the  consecrated  things  of  the  ark."     With  the  Ho- 

*  The  Indians  have  something  in  imitation  of  a  drum.,  made  of  a  wet  deer  skia 
«lrawn  over  a  large  gourd  or  frame  of  wood. 


±76  A    STXR  IN   THE    WEST. 

brews,  the  ark  o^Berith,  (the  purifier)  was  a  small  wooden  chest, 
as  has  already  been  shewn  in  the  first  chapter,  of  three 
feet  nine  inches  in  length,  and  two  feet  three  inches  broad, 
and  two  feet  three  inches  in  height,  and  overlaid  with  pure 
gold.  Tlie  Indian  ark  is  of  a  very  simple  construction,  and  it 
is  only  the  intention  and  application  of  it,  that  makes  it  wor- 
thy of  notice,  for  it  is  made  with  pieces  of  wood,  securely 
fastened  together  in  the  form  of  a  square.  The  middle  of 
three  of  the  sides  extend  a  little  out,  but  the  fourth  side  is  flat, 
for  the  convenience  of  the  person's  back  who  carries  it.  This 
ark  has  a  cover,  and  the  wliole  is  made  impenetrably  close 
with  hickory  splinters.  It  is  about  half  the  dimensions  of  the 
Jewish  ark,  and  may  properly  be  called  the  Hebrew  ark  im- 
itated. The  leader  and  a  beloved  waiter  carry  it  by  turns. 
In  contains  several  consecrated  vessels,  made  by  beloved, 
superanuated  women,  and  of  such  various  antiquated  forms, 
as  would  have  puzzled  Adam  to  have  given  significant  names 
to  each.  Tliese  two  carriers  are  purified  longer  tlian  the 
rest,  that  the  first  may  be  fit  to  act  in  the  religious  office  of  a 
priest  of  war,  and  the  other  to  carry  the  awful,  sacred  ark, 
all  thQjyliile  they  are  engaged  in  the  act  of  fighting. 

«  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark  set  forwai"d,  that  Moses 
said,  rise  up  Lord,  and  let  thine  enemies  be  scattei'ed ;  and 
let  them  that  hate  thee,  flee  before  thee.  And  when  it  rested 
he  said,  return  0  Lord  unto  the  many  thousands  of  Israel" — 
Numbers  x.  35,  36.  "  But  they  presumed  to  go  up  unto  the 
hill  top;  nevertheless,  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord 
and  Moses,  departed  not  out  of  the  camp.  Then  the  Amale- 
kites  came  down  and  the  Canaanites  who  dwelt  on  that  hill, 
and  smote  them,  and  discomfited  them  even  unto  Hormah'"— 
ibid  xiv.  45, 


A    STAR   IN   ofllE    Wli.ST.  177 

<^  And  David  said  unto  them,  ye  are  the  chief  of  the  fathers 
frf  the  Levites;  sanctify  yourselves  both  ye  and  your  brethren, 
that  ye  may  bring  up  the  ark  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  unto 
the  place  that  I  have  prepared  for  it"— ^1  Cliron.  xv.  12. 

The  IletissUf  or  beloved  waiter,  feeds  each  of  the  warriors 
by  an  exact  stated  rule,  giving  them  even  the  water  they 
drink,  out  of  his  own  hands,  lest  by  intemperance  they  should 
spoil  the  supposed  communicative  power  of  their  holy  things, 
and  occasion  fatal  disasters  to  flie  war  camp.  They  never 
place  the  ark  on  the  ground,  nor  sit  on  the  bare  earth, 
while  they  ai-e  carrying  it  against  the  enemy.  On  hilly 
ground,  where  stones  are  jdenty,  they  place  it  on  them  ',  but 
on  land,  where  stones  are  not  to  be  had,  they  use  short  logs, 
always  resting  themselves  in  like  manner.  The  former  is  a 
strong  imitation  of  the  pedestal  on  which  the  Jewish  ark  was 
placed,  a  stone  rising  three  fingers  breadth  above  the  floor. 
Tliey  have  as  strong  faith  in  tlie  power  and  holiness  of  their 
ark,  as  ever  the  Israelites  had  of  therrs,  ascribing  the  superi- 
or success  of  the  party  to  their  stricter  adherence  to  the  law, 
than  the  other.  This  ark  is  deemed  so  sacred  and  dangerous 
to  be  touched,  either  by  their  own  sanctified  warriors,  or  the 
spoiling  enemy,  tliat  they  will  not  touch  it  on  any  account.  It 
is  not  to  be  meddled  with  by  any  but  the  war  chieftain  and  hi»s 
waiter,  who  are  consecrated  for  the  purpose,  under  the  pen- 
alty of  incurring  great  evil.  Nor  would  the  most  inveterate 
enemy  among  their  nations,  touch  it  in  the  woods  for  the  same 
reason,  which  is  agreeable  to  the  religious  opinion  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Hebrews,  respecting  the  sacredness  of  their  ark, 

as  in  the  ease  of  Uzzah  and  the  Philistines. 

2A  • 


178  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

A  gentleman  who  was  at  the  Ohio  in  the  year  1756,  as- 
sured the  WTiter  that  he  saw  a  stranger  there,  very  importu- 
nate to  view  the  inside  of  the  Cherokee  ark,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  a  dressed  deer  skin,  and  placed  on  a  couple  of  shoi't 
blocks  of  wood.  An  Indian  sentinel  w^atched  it,  armed  with 
a  hickory  bow,  and  brass  pointed  barbed  arrow ;  and  he  w  as 
faitliful  to  his  trust;  for  finding  the  Stranger  obtruding,  with 
apparent  determination  to  pollute  the  supposed  sacred  vehicle, 
he  drew  his  arrow  to  the  head,  and  would  have  shot  him 
through  the  body,  had  he  not  suddenly  withdrawn. 

The  leader  virtually  acts  tlie  part  of  a  priest  of  war  pro 
tempore,  in  imitation  of  tlte  Israelites,  fighting  under  the  divine 
military  banner  of  old. 

i  The  Indians  will  not  cohabit  with  w^omen  while  they  are 
out  at  war;  they  religiously  abstain  from  every  kind  of  inter- 
/course,  even  with  their  own  wives,  for  the  space  of  three  days 
£  and  nights,  before  they  go  out  to  war ;  and  so  after  they  re- 
/  turn  home,  because  they  are  to  sanctify  themselves.  So 
Josliua  commanded  the  Israelites,  the  night  before  they 
marched,  to  sanctify  themselves  by  washing  their  clothes^ 
avoiding  all  impurities,  and  abstaining  from  all  matrimonial 
intercourse. 

When  the  Indians  return  home  victorious  over  an  enemy, 
they  sing  the  triumphal  song  to  F.  0,  He,  wak,  ascribing  the 
victory  to  him,  like  a  religious  custom  of  the  Israelites,  who 
were  commanded  ahvays  to  attribute  their  success  in  war  to 
Jehovah,  and  not  to  their  swords  aiid  arrows. 

The  Indian  method  of  making  peace,  carries  the  face  of 
great  antiquity,  "^lien  the  applicants  arrive  ne^  the  town, 
they  send  a  messenger  a  head,  to  inform  the  enemy  of  their 


A    STAR    IN    THE    AVEST.  iTft 

amicable  intentions.  He  carries  a  swan's  wing  in  Lis  hand, 
painted  with  streaks  of  wliitc  clay,  as  an  expressive  emblem 
of  his  peaceful  embassy.  The  next  day,  when  they  ha^s^e  made 
their  friendly  parade,  by  firing  off  their  guns  and  whooping, 
they  enter  tlie  beloved  square.  Their  chief,  who  is  a-head 
<if  the  rest,  is  met  by  one  of  tlie  old  beloved  men  of  the  town. 
They  approach  each  other  in  a  bowing  posjture.  The  formei* 
says,  Vo  Ish  le  cher  Anggona  ?  "  Are  you  come  a  friend,  in  tlie 
name  of  the  great  spirit  /"  The  other  replies.  Yah  Oruhre  0 
Anggona.  «  TAe  great  spiiit  is  with  me,  lam  com%  a  friend  in 
his  nameJ^  The  beloved  man  tlien  grasps  the  stranger  with 
both  his  hands,  around  the  w  rist  of  his  right  hand,  which  holds 
some  green  branches ;  then  again  about  the  elbow ;  then  about 
the  arm  close  to  the  shoulder,  as  a  near  approach  to  the  hearts 
Then  he  waves  an  eagle's  tail  over  the  head  of  the  stranger, 
which  is  the  strongest  pledge  of  good  faith.  The  writer  of 
this  has  been  witness  to  tliis  ceremony,  performed  by  an  em- 
bas^  from  the  Creek  nation,  with  his  excellency  general 
Washington,  president  of  the  United  States,  in  the  year  1789. 

The  common  method  of  greeting  each  other  is  analogous 
with  the  above,  in  a  great  measure.  The  hast  only  says,  Ish 
la  dm?  Are  you  a  friend  P  The  guest  replies,  Orahre-O,  lam 
come  in  the  name  of  0.  E,  A,  or  Fohexvah. 

<«  They  are  very  loving  to  one  another,  if  several  came  to  a 
christian's  house,  and  the  master  of  it  gave  to  one  of  them 
victuals,  and  none  to  the  rest,  he  would  divide  it  into  equal 
shares  amongst  his  companions.  If  the  christians  visited 
them,  they  would  give  them  the  first  cut  of  their  victuals. 
They  never  eat  the  hollow  of  the  thigh  of  any  thing  tliey  kill ; 
^nd  if  a  christian  stranger  came  to  one  of  their  bouses  \n  their 


18Q  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

towns,  he  was  received  with  the  greatest  hospitality,  and  the 
"best  of  every  thing  was  set  before  him.  And  tliis  was  often 
repeated  from  house  to  house/* — Smith's  history  of  New-Jer- 
sey, page  130. 

The  Indians  are  not  only  religiously  attached  to  their  tribe 
while  living;  but  their  bodies,  and  especially  their  bones, 
are  the  objects  of  their  solicitous  care,  after  they  are  dead. 
Among  the  Mohawks,  their  funeral  rites  show  they  have  some 
notion  of  a  future  state  of  existence.  They  make  a  large 
round  hole^iin  which  the  body  can  be  placed  upright,  or  upon 
its  haunches,  which,  after  the  body  is  placed"  in  it,  is  covered 
with  timber,  to  support  the  earth,  which  they  lay  over  it,  and 
thereby  keep  the  body  from  being  pressed,  they  then  raise 
tJVe  earth  in  a  round  hill  over  it.  They  dress  the  corpse  in  all 
its  finery,  and  put  wampum  and  other  things  in  the  grave  with 
it.  The  relations  will  not  suffer  grass,  or  any  weed  to  grow 
9n  the  gravcj  and  frequently  visit  it  with  lamentations. 

Among  the  French  Indians  in  Canada,  as  mentioned  by 
Charlevoix,  as  soon  as  the  sick  person  expires,  the  house  is 
filled  with  mournful  cries ;  and  this  lasts  as  long  as  the  family 
is  able  to  defray  the  expense,  for  they  must  keep  open  house 
all  the  time.  In  some  nations  the  relatives  fast  to  the  end  of 
the  funeral,  with  tears  and  cries.  They  treat  their  visitors-r- 
praise  the  dead,  and  pass  mutual  compliments.  In  other  na- 
tions, they  hire  women  to  weep,  who  perform  their  duty  punc- 
tually. They  sing — -they  danccr— they  weep  without  ceasing, 
always  keeping  time.  He  has  seen  the  relatives  in  distress, 
walk  at  a  great  pace,  and  put  their  hands  on  the  heads  of  aM 
they  met,  probably  to  invite  them  to  share  in  their  grief. 
Those  who  have  sought  a  resemblance  between  the  Hebrews 


A    STAR   IN    THE    W|^ST.  181 

and  the  Americans,  have  not  failed  to  take  particular  notice 
of  their  manner  of  mourning,  as  several  expressions  in  scrip- 
ture give  room  to  such  conjectures,  and  to  suppose  them  much 
alike  to  those  in  use  witli  those  people  of  God.  Indeed,  do 
not  these  customs  and  practices  seem  to  be  derived  from  those 
of  tlie  Jews  burying  their  dead  in  tombs  hewed  out  of  a  rock, 
wherein  were  niches,  in  which  the  dead  were  set  in  an  upright 
posture,  and  often  with  much  of  their  property  buried  with 
them.  Josephus  tells  us,  that  from  king  David*s  sepulchre, 
Hyrcanus,  the  Maccabean,  took  three  thousand  talents,  about 
thirteen  hundred  years  after  his  death,  to  get  rid  of  Antiocli- 
us,  then  besieging  Jerusalem. 

The  southern  Indians,  when  any  of  their  people  die  at 
home,  wash  and  anoint  the  corpse,  and  soon  bring  it  out  of 
doors,  for  fear  of  pollution.  They  place  it  opposite  to  the  door 
in  a  sitting  jwsture.  They  then  carry  it  three  times  round 
the  house  in  which  he  is  to  be  interred,  for  sometimes  they 
bury  him  in  his  dwelling-house,  and  under  his  bed.  The  re- 
ligious man  of  the  deceased's  family,  in  this  procession,  goes 
before  the  corpse,  saying  each  time,  in  a  solemn  tone.  Yah — 
then  Ho,  which  is  sung  by  all  the  procession.  Again  he  strikcvS 
np  He,  whicli  is  also  sung  by  the  rest.  Then  all  of  them  sud- 
denly strike  off  the  solemn  chorus,  by  saying  7vah,  which 
constitutes  the  divine,  essential  name,  Vah-Ho-He-wah.  In  the 
Choktaw  nation,  they  often  sing,  H(d-le-lu-ijah,  intermixed 
with  their  lamentations.  They  put  the  corpse  in  the  tomb  in 
a  sitting  posture,  with  his  face  towards  the  east,  and  his  head 
anointed  with  bear's  oil.  He  is  dressed  in  the  finest  apparel, 
having  Jiis  gun,  pouch,  and  hickory  bow,  with  a  young  pan- 
ther's skin  full  of  arrows,  along  side  of  him,  and  every  other 


iSZ  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

wseful  tiling  be  had  been  possessed  of.  The  tomb  is  made  firm 
and  clean  inside.  They  cover  it  with  thick  logs,  so  as  to 
bear  several  tiers  of  cypress  bark,  and  then  a  quantity  of  clay 
over  it. 

The  graves  of  the  dea'd  are  so  sacred  among  the  northern 
nations,  that  to  profane  them,  is  the  greatest  hostility  that  can 
be  committed  against  a  nation,  and  the  greatest  sign  that  they 
will  come  to  no  terms  with  them. 

The  Indians  imagine  if  a  white  man  was  to  be  buried  in 
the  domestic  tombs  of  their  kindred,  it  would  be  liighly  crim- 
inal ;  and  that  the  spirits  would  haunt  the  eaves  of  the  house 
at  night,  and  cause  misfortunes  to  their  family. 

If  any  one  dies  at  a  distance,  and  they  are  not  pursued  by 
an  enemy,  they  place  the  corpse  on  a  scaffold,  secured  from 
wild  beasts  and  fowls  of  prey.  When  they  imagine  the  flesli 
is  consumed,  and  the  bones  dried,  they  return  to  the  place, 
Imng  them  home,  and  inter  them  in  a  very  solemn  manner. 
The  Hebrews,  in  like  manner,  carefully  buried  their  dead, 
but  on  any  accident,  tliey  gathered  their  bones,  and  laid  them 
in  the  tombs  of  their  fore-fathers.  Thus  Jacob  "  charged  his 
sons,  and  said  unto  them,  I  am  to  be  gathered  unto  my  people, 
bury  me  with  my  fathers,  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  o£ 
Ephron  tlie  Hittite."  This  was  in  Cardan.  "  There  they 
buried  Abraham  and  Sarah  his  wife ;  there  tliey  buried  Isaac 
and  Rebeckah,  his  wife ;  and  there  I  buried  Leah."  «  And 
Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel,  saying,  God  will 
surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  my  bones  from  hence." 
♦^  And  Moses  took  the  bones  of  Joseph  with  him."*  And  the 
bones  of  Joseph,  v.  Iiich  the  children  of  Israel  brought  up  out 

^  Gen.  xHx.  <19,  31—1.  SS—Exod.  xiii.  19. 


A    STAR    IN    THE    WESJ.  iSa 

of  Eg}'pt,  burietl  they  in  Shechem,"  as  above  mentioned. — ■ 
Josliua  xxiv.  32.  The  Jews  buried  near  tlieir  cities,  and 
sometimes  opposite  to  their  houses,  implying  a  silent  lesson  of 
friendsliip,  and  a  caution  to  live  well.  They  buried  families 
together^  but  strangers  apart  by  themselves. 

When  an  old  Indian  finds  tliat  it  is  probable  that  he  must 
die,  he  sends  for  his  friends,  and  with  them  collects  his  chil- 
dren and  family  around  him ;  and  then,  with  the  greatest  com- 
posure, he  addresses  them  in  the  most  affectionate  manner, 
giving  them  his  last  council,  and  advising  them  to  such  conduct 
as  he  thinks  for  their  best  interests.  So  did  the  patriarchs  of 
old,  and  the  Indians  seem  to  follow  their  steps,  and  with  as 
much  cooln.ess  as  Jacob  did  to  his  children,  \^  hen  he  was  about 
to  die. 

A  very  w^orthy  clergyman,  with  whom  tlje  writer  was  well 
acquainted,  and  who  had  long  preached  to  the  Indians,  informed 
him,  that  many  years  ago,  having  preaclied  in  the  morning 
to  a  considerable  number  of  them,  in  the  recess  between  the 
morning  and  afternoon  services,  news  was  suddenly  brought, 
that  the  son  of  an  Indian  woman,  one  of  the  congregation  then 
present,  had  fallen  into  a  mill-dam,  and  was  drowned.  Im? 
fiiediately  the  disconsolate  mother  retired  to  some  distance-  in 
deep  distress,  and  sat  down  on  the  gi-ound.  Her  female 
friends  soon  followed  her,  and  placed  themselves  in  like  man- 
ner around  her,  in  a  circle  at  a  small  distance.  They  contin- 
ued a  considerable  time,  in  profound  and  melancholy  silence^ 
except  now  and  then  uttering  a  deep  groan.  All  at  once  the 
mother  putting  her  hand  on  her  mouth,  fell  with  her  face  flat 
on  the  ground,  her  hand  continuing  on  her  mouth.  This  was 
followed,  in  like  manjiejr,  by  all  the  rest,  when  all  cried  out. 


18*  *  A   S^TAR   IN   THE   ^VKST. 

with  the  most  melancholy  and  dismal  ydlings  and  gvoanings. 
Thus  they  continued^  with  their  hands  on  their  mouths,  and 
their  mouths  in  the  dust  a  considerahlc  time.  The  men  also 
retii'ed  to  a  distance  from  them,  and  went  thiough  the  same 
ceremony,  making  the  most  dismal  groanings  and  yellings. 

Need  any  reader  he  reminded  of  the  Jewish  customs  on 
jjccasions  of  deep  humiliation,  as  in  Job  21  and  5 — Mark  me 
and  he  astonished,  and  lay  your  hand  on  your  mouth.  29  and 
9 — ^The  princes  refrained  talking,  and  laid  their  hands  on 
their  mouths.  40  and  4 — Behold !  I  am  vile,  what  shall  I 
answer  thee  ?  I  will  lay  my  hand  on  my  mouth.  Micali  7  and 
16 — .The  nations  shall  see  and  be  confounded ;  they  shall  lay 
tJieir  hands  on  their  mouth.  Lament.  3  and  9 — He  putteth 
his  mouth  in  the  dust,  if  so  be,  there  may  be  hope.  Prov.  30 
and  32 — If  thou  hast  thought  evil,  lay  thine  hand  up'on  thy 
mouth. 

The  Choktaw  Indians  hire  mourners  to  magnify  the  merit 
and  loss  of  the  dead,  and  if  their  tears  do  not  flow,  their  shrill 
voices  will  be  heard  to  cry,  which  answers  the  solemn  chorus 
much  better.  However,  some  of  them  have  the  art  of  shed- 
ding tears  abundantly.  Jerem.  ix  chap.  17,  19 — Thus  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  consider  ye,  and  call  for  the  mourning  wo- 
men, that  they  may  come,  and  send  for  cunning  women,  that 
they  may  come,  for  a  voice  of  wailing  is  heard,  &c. 

By  the  Mosaic  law,  the  surviving  brother  was  to  raise  up 
seed  to  a  deceased  brother,  who  should  leave  a  widow  child- 
less. The  Indian  custom  resembles  this  in  a  considerable  de- 
gree. A  widow  among  the  Indians  is  bound  by  a  strict  penal 
law  or  custom,  to  mourn  tlie  death  of  her  husband,  for  the 
^pacc  of  three  or  four  years.    But  if  it  be  known  that  the  elder 


A  STAR  IN  THE   WEST*  18^5 

brother  of  her  deceased  husband  has  lain  with  her,  she  i$  af- 
terwards exempt  from  the  law  of  mourning — ^has  liberty  to 
tie  up  her  hair,  anoint  and  paint  herself,  which  slie  could  npt 
otherwise  do,  under  pain  of  being  treated  as  an  adultress. 

The  Indians,  formerly  on  the  Juniata  and  Susquehannah  riv- 
ers, placed  tlieir  dead  on  close  or  covered  cribs,  made  for  the 
purpose,  till  the  flesh  consumed  away.  At  the  proper  time 
they  gatliered  tlie  bones,  scraped  and  washed  them,  and  then 
buried  them  with  great  ceremony.  There  is  a  tribe  called 
Nanticokes,  that  on  their  removal  from  an  old  to  a  new  town, 
carry  the  bones  of  their  ancestors  with  them* 

This  also  prevailed  in  particular  cases  among  the  Canada 
Indians.  An  officer  of  the  regular  troops  at  Oswego,  upwards 
of  sixty  years  ago,  reported  tlie  following  fact.  A  boy  of  one 
of  the  westward  nations,  died  at  Oswego— the  parents  made 
a  regular  pile  of  split  wood,  laid  the  corpse  upon  it  and  burnt 
it.  While  the  pile  was  burning,  they  stood  gravely  looking 
on,  without  any  lamentation,  but  when  it  w^as  burned  down 
they  gathered  up  the  bones,  and  with  many  tears,  put  them 
into  a  box,  and  carried  them  away  with  tlieni.*  The  Indians 
are  universally  remarkable  for  a  spirit  of  independence  and 
freedom  beyond  any  other  people,  and  they  generally  consid- 
er death,  as  far  preferable  to  slavery.  They  abhor  covet- 
ousness,  and  to  prevent  it,  they  burn  all  the  little  property 
an  Indian  has  at  the  time  of  his  death,  or  bury  it  with  him  in 
his  grave.  This  necessarily  tempts  them  to  frugality  and 
abstemiousness  in  their  manner  of  living.  They  are  wholly 
ignorant  of  all  kind  of  mechanicks,  except  so  far  as  is  pressed 
.  on  them  by  necessity.    They  are  free  from  hypocrisy  or  any 

*  Exod.  $ni.  19.    Josh.  xxiv.  12,    2  Sam.  xxi.  12—14. 
2B 


186  A   STAR   IN   THE  WEST* 

forced  civility  or  politeness  ^  but  their  general  conduct,  sWvs 
R  frank  and  candid,  but  plain  and  blunt  hospitality  and  kind- 
ness ;  with  a  degree  of  faithfulness  in  their  dealings,  except 
with  their  enemies,  that  often  astonishes  white  people ;  who 
although  their  pretensions  are  so  much  higher,  cannot,  at  least 
do  not,  reach  them  in  this  particular. 

The  great  author  of  the  divine  legation  of  Moses,  in  treating 
of  the  govermiient  of  the  Jews,  both  civil  and  religious,  as  ne- 
cessarily united  under  one  great  head,  the  God  of  Mraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  states  his  subject  clearly  and  fully,  and  theii 
says,  *<  but  the  poet  Voltaire,  indeed,  has  had  a  diiferent  rev- 
elation. The  pride  of  every  individual  among  the  Jews,  says 
he,  is  interested  in  believing,  that  it  was  not  their  detestable 
policy,  their  ignorance  in  tlie  arts  or  their  unpoliteness,  that 
destroyed  them ;  but  that  it  is  God's  anger  that  yet  pursues 
them  for  their  idolatries."  This  detestable  policy,  (which  I 
would  not  consider  in  the  most  obvious  sense  of  the  Mosaic 
institution,  because  that  might  tend  to  make  the  poet  himself 
detestable)  was  a  principle  of  independence.  This  ignorance 
in  the  arts  prevented  the  entrance  ©f  luxury ;  and  this  unpo- 
liteness, hindered  the  practice  of  it.  And  yet  parsimony, 
frugality  and  a  spirit  of  liberty,  which  naturally  preserve  oth- 
er states,  all  tended  in  the  ideas  of  this  wonderful  politician  to 
destroy  the  Jewish."  How  surprisingly  does  this  observation 
of  bishop  Warburton,  apply  in  support  of  these  untutored  In- 
dians, and  point  out  from  whence  tliey  must  have  drawn  theii' 
principles  of  conduct. 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  187 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  known  Religious  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Indians, 

TO  adopt  the  language  of  Father  Charlevoix,  ^<  nothing  has 
undergone  more  sudden,  frequent,  or  more^surprising  revolu- 
tions, than  religion.  When  once  men  have  abandoned  the  only 
true  one,  tliey  soon  lose  sight  of  it,  and  find  themselves  entan- 
gled and  bewildered  in  such  a  labyrinth  of  incoherent  errors, 
inconsistencies  and  contradictions,  that  there  often  remains  not 
the  smallest  clue  to  lead  us  back  to  the  truth.  One  example. 
The  Buccaniers  of  St.  Domingo,  who  professed  to  be  chris- 
tians, but  who  had  no  commerce,  except  among  themselves,  in 
less  than  thirty  years,  and  through  the  sole  want  of  religious 
worship,  instruction,  and  an  authority  capable  of  retaining 
them  in  their  duty,  had  lost  all  marks  of  cliristianity,  except 
baptism  alone.  Had  these  people  continued  only  to  the  third 
generation,  their  grand  cliildren  would  have  been  as  void  of 
Christianity  as  the  inliabitants  of  Terra- Australis,  or  New 
Guinea.  They  might,  possibly,  have  preserved  some  cere- 
monies, the  meaning  of  wliich  they  could  not  account  for." 

However,  our  wandering  tribes  of  Indians  have,  in  a  most 
surprising  manner,  bordering  on  something  rather  supernatu- 
ral, preserved  so  many  essential  parts  of  their  original  plan 
of  divine  worship,  and  so  many  of  their  primitive  doctrines, 
•  although  they  hare  at  present  almost  wholly  forgotten  their 
meaning  and  their  end,  as  to  leave  little  doubt  of  their  great 
Source, 


188  A   STAR  IN   THE  WEST. 

They  are  ftir  from  being  idolaters,  altliough  many  good 
men,  from  want  of  a  knowledge  of  their  language,  and  often 
having  communion  with  the  most  worthless  part  of  them, 
without  making  any  allowance  for  their  local  situation  and 
circumstances,  have  given  terrific  accounts  of  these  children 
of  nature.  And  this  is  not  much  to  be  wondered  at.  For 
many  of  our  worthy,  over  zealous  and  pious  Europeans,  and 
some  white  Americans,  deeply  affected  with  a  sense  of  their 
lUihappy  state,  and  feeling  the  importance  of  the  gospel  to 
them,  have  unwisely  gone  into  the  woods  to  them,  without 
proper  and  preparatory  education  for  so  important  an  under- 
taking.— I  mean,  without  understanding  their  language,  or 
being  well  acquainted  with  their  manners,  customs  and  habits 
«— ^nay,  not  even  making  themselves  acquainted  with  their  re- 
ligious prejudices,  or  by  taking  sufficient  time  and  using  prop- 
er means  to  gain  their  confidence. 

To  people  so  ignorant  of  what  they  ought  first  to  have 
known,  and  wholly  trusting  to  a  heathen  interpreter,  unable 
to  feel  or  express  the  nature  of  spiritual  things,  and  having  to 
deal  with  a  most  jealous  and  artful  people,  rendered  so  by  the 
experience  of  more  than  a  century,  by  the  continued  imposi- 
tions and  oppression  of  the  nation  to  which  their  visitants  be- 
longed— it  is  quite  a  natural  thing,  that  they  were  often  at 
first  despised  by  the  Indians,  and  then  made  a  mere  butt,  for 
the  most  worthless  to  frighten  and  laugh  at.  Hence  the  In- 
dians have  often  in  a  frolic  dressed  themselves  in  the  most 
terrific  manner,  and  made  the  most  frightful  images,  with 
every  kind  of  extravagant  emblem  about  it,  to  alarm  and  ter- 
rify tlieir  new  comers,  of  whom  they  thought  so  lightly.  We 
speak  now  principally  of  their  light,  bad  people,  who  inhabit 


A  STAR  IN   THE   WEST-  1S9 

around  or  near  our  settlements.  That,  as  a  people,  they  are 
sensible  of  propriety,  and  are  careful  observers  of  characters, 
is  well  known  to  those  who  have  been  long  conversant  with 
tliem.  It  is  a  fact  well  attested,  that  a  preacher  w  ent  among 
them  before  the  revolutionary  war,  and  in  a  sudden  discourse 
to  them,  began  to  tell  them  that  there  was  a  God,  who  crea- 
ted all  things — that  it  was  exceedingly  sinful  and  oiSensive  to 
him,  to  get  drunk,  or  lie,  or  steal — ^all  which  they  must  care- 
fully avoid.  They  aiTswcred  him — "  Go  about  your  business, 
you  fool !  Do  not  we  know  that  there  is  a  God,  as  well  as 
you  !  Go  to  your  own  people  and  preach  to  them  ;  for  who 
gets  drunk,  and  lies  and  steals  more  than  you  white  people  ?" 
In  short,  if  the  Indians  form  their  ideas  of  us  from  the  com- 
mon traders  and  land  speculators,  and  common  people,  with 
whom  they  usually  have  to  do,  they  will  not  run  into  a  greater 
error  than  we  do,  when  we  form  qur  ideas  of  the  character  of 
Indians  from  those  who  generally  keep  about  our  settlements, 
and  traffic  with  the  frontier  inhabitants. 

The  Indians  are  filled  wrtli  great  spiritual  pride — we  mean 
their  chiefs  and  best  men.  They  consider  themselves  as  under 
a  theocracy,  and  that  they  have  God  for  their  governor  and 
head.  They  therefore  hold  all  other  people,  comparatively, 
in  contempt.  They  pay  their  religious  worship,  as  Mr.  Adair 
assures  us,  (and  he  had  a  great  opportunity  of  knowing)  to 
Loak-Ishto,  Hoolo-Mha,  or  the  great,  beneficent,  supreme,  holy 
spirit  of  fire,  who  resides  above  the  clouds,  and  on  earth  with 
unpolluted,  holy  people.  They  were  never  known  (whatever 
some  Spanish  writers  may  say  to  the  contrary,  to  cover  their 
own  blood-thirsty  and  more  tlian  savage  barbarity  to  the 
natives  they  found  in  Mexico,  at  tlieir  fiist  arrival  amon^ 


190  A   STAR   IN    THE   WEST. 

them)  to  pay  the  least  perceivable  adoration  to  images  or  dead 
persons,  or  to  celestial  luminaries,  or  evil  spirits,  or  to  any 
created  being  whatever. 

Their  religious  ceremonies  are  more  after  the  Mosaic  in- 
stitution, than  of  pagan  imitation.  They  do  not  believe  the 
sun  to  be  any  larger  than  it  appears  to  the  naked  eye.  Not- 
withstanding the  various  accounts  we  have  had  from  differ- 
ent authors,  greatly  exaggerating  the  reports  of  the  Indian's 
irreligious  conduct,  they  have  taken  little  or  no  pains  to  be 
well  informed  (for  it  is  attended  with  considerable  difficulty, 
from  their  known  secrecy)  and  have  therefore  grossly  mis- 
represented tliem,  without  designing  to  mislead.  Historians 
ought  not  to  be  trusted,  as  to  detailed  accounts  of  these  peo- 
ple, with  whom  it  seems  to  have  been  previously  agreed 
among  themselves,  to  charge  with  being  red  savages  and  bar- 
barians, while  the  Indians,  in  return,  consider  as  white  sava« 
ges  and  accursed  people,  those  who  thus  traduce  them.  Read- 
ers should  carefully  examine  into  their  means  of  knowledge— 
their  connections  with  the  Indians,  and  the  length  of  time  and 
opportunities  they  enjoyed  in  a  social  intercourse  with  them. 
Difficulties,  and  those  very  great,  have  arisen  from  the  im- 
practicability of  a  stranger  being  well  informed,  particularly 
arising  from  their  unconquerable  jealousy  and  great  secrecy 
in  every  thing  relating  to  their  religious  character.  Again^ 
historians  are  often  fond  of  the  marvellous,  and  are  apt  to 
take  up  with  any  information  they  can  get,  without  examining 
its  source,  and  are  too  apt  to  make  up  strange  stories  to  an- 
swer their  private  purposes,  or  to  cover  base  designs.  This 
is  fully  exemplified  in  the  abominable  false  accounts  publish- 
ed by  the  Spaniaids,  relative  to  Mexico,  on  their  firfit  con- 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  191 

quel  ing,  or  rather  carrying  destruction  and  blood-shed  through 
that  fine  country,  to  gratify  their  covetousness  and  bloody  dis- 
positions, when  they  had  not  the  least  foundation  in  truth  for 
their  diabolical  accounts. 

Adair  assures  us,  that  from  the  experience  of  forty  years, 
he  can  say,  that  none  of  the  various  nations  from  Hudson's  bay 
to  the  Missisippi,  have  ever  been  known  by  our  trading  peo- 
ple, to  attempt  the  formation  of  any  image  of  the  great  spirit 
whom  they  devoutly  worship.  They  never  pretend  to  divine 
from  any  thing  but  their  dreams,  which  seems  to  proceed 
from  a  tradition,  that  their  ancestors  received  knowledge  of 
future  events  from  heaven  by  dreams — vide  Job  xxxiii.  &c.    , 

Du  Pratz  had  a  particular  intimacy  with  the  chief  of  the^ 
guardians  of  the  temple,  in  a  nation  near  the  Missisippi — 3  ; 
vol.  173.  That  on  his  requesting  to  be  informed  of  the  Ma- 
ture of  their  worsliip,  he  was  told  that  they  acknowledged  a 
supreme  being,  whom  they  called  Coyo-cop-chillf  or  great  spirit, 
or  the  spirit  infinitely  great — or  the  spirit  by  way  of  excellence. 
That  the  word  chill  in  their  language,  signifies  the  most  su- 
perlative degree  of  perfection,  and  is  added  to  make  that  ap- 
pear, as  oua  is  fire,  and  oua  chill  is  the  supreme  fire,  or  the 
sun.  Therefore  by  the  word  Coyo-cop-chill,  they  mean  a  spir- 
it that  surpasses  other  spirits,  as  much  as  the  sun  does  com- 
mon fire.  The  guardian  said,  that  the  great  spirit  was  so 
great  and  powerful,  that  in  comparison  with  him,  ail  other 
things  were  as  nothing.  He  had  made  all  that  we  see — all 
that  we  can  see-*and  all  that  we  cannot  see.  He  was  so  good 
that  he  could  not  do  ill  to  any  one,  even  if  he  had  a  mind  U 
do  it«  They  believed  that  the  great  spirit  had  made  all  things 
by  his  will ;  that  nevertheless  the  little  spirits  who  are  his 


192  A  STAR  IN  THE  WEST. 

servants,  might  by  his  orders,  have  made  many  excellent 
works  in  the  universe,  which  we  admire ;  but  that  God  him- 
self had  formed  man  with  his  own  hands.  They  called  the 
little  spirits,  free  servants.  That  those  spirits  were  always 
before  the  great  spirit,  ready  to  execute  his  pleasure  with  an 
extreme  diligence. 

That  the  air  was  fdled  with  other  spirits,  some  good,  some 
wicked,  and  that  the  latter  had  a  chief,  who  was  more  wicked 
tlian  all  the  rest.  That  the  great  spirit  had  found  him  so  wick- 
ed, that  he  had  bound  him  forever,  so  that  the  other  spirits  of 
the  air,  no  longer  did  so  much  harm. 

He  was  then  asked,  how  did  God  make  man  ?  he  answer- 
*  ed  that  he  kneaded  some  clay,  and  made  it  into  a  little  man- — 
^ter  examining  it  and  finding  it  well  formed,  he  blew  on  his 
work,  and  forthwith  the  little  man  had  life— grew — acted-— 
walked  and  found  himself  a  man,  perfectly  well  shaped.  He 
then  was  asked  about  the  woman — he  said,  probably  she  was 
made  in  the  same  manner  as  the  man,  but  their  ancient  speech 
made  no  mention  of  any  difference,  only  that  the  man  was 
made  first — page  17^. 

The  Indians  also,  agreeably  to  the  theocracy  of  Israel^ 
think  the  great  spirit  to  be  the  immediate  head  of  their  state, 
and  that  God  chose  them  out  of  all  the  rest  of  mankind,  as  his 
peculiar  and  beloved  people. 

Mr.  Locke,  one  of  the  ablest  men  Great-Britain  ever  pro- 
duced, observes,  *^  that  the  commonwealth  of  the  Jews,  differ- 
ed from  all  others,  being  an  absolute  tlieoeracy.  The  laws 
established  there,  concerning  the  worship  of  the  one  invisible 
deity,  were  the  civil  laws  of  that  people,  and  a  part  of  their 
]}oliticd  government,  in  which  God  himself  was  the  legislator.'* 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST,  19> 

In  this,  the  Indians  profess  the  same  thing  precisely.  This 
is  the  exact  form  of  their  government,  which  seems  unac- 
countable, were  it  not  derived  from  the  same  orignal  source, 
and  is  the  only  reason  that  can  be  assigned  for  so  extraordina- 
ry a  fact. 

The  Indians  are  exceedingly  intoxicated  with  religious 
pride,  and  hold  the  white  people  in  inexplicable  contempt— 
the  common  name  they  give  us  in  their  set  speeches,  literally 
means,  nothings  ;  but  in  their  war  speeches,  ottuck  ookproose^ 
the  accursed  people.  But  they  flatter  themselves  with  tlie 
name  ffottuk-ore-too-paie,  the  beloved  people.  This  is  agree- 
able to  the  Hebrew  epithet  Ammi,  during  the  theocracy  of  Is- 
rael. When  their  high  priest  (if  we  may  be  allowed  the  term, 
for  their  most  beloved  man)  addresses  the  people,  he  calls 
them,  "  the  beloved  or  holy  people."  These  addresses  are 
full  of  flourishes  on  the  happiness  of  their  country,  calling  it  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey. 

When  any  of  their  beloved  people  die,  they  soften  the 
thoughts  of  death,  by  saying,  he  is  onhj  gone  to  sleep  with  their 
beloved  forefathers,  and  usually  mention  a  common  proverb 
among  them,  ^'neitak  intahah,**  the  days  appointed,  or  allow- 
ed  him,  were  finished.  And  this  is  their  firm  belief,  for  they 
aflirm  that  there  is  a  fixed  time  and  place,  when  and  where 
every  one  must  die,  without  any  possibility  of  averting  it^ 
They  frequently  say,  <<  such  a  one  was  weighed  on  the  path, 
and  made  to  be  light."  They  always  ascribe  life  and  death 
to  God's  unerring  and  particular  providence. 

Contrary  to  the  usage  of  all  the  ancient  heathen  world, 
they  not  only  name  God  by  several  strong  compounded  appel* 
rations,  expressive  of  many  of  his 'divine  attributes,  but  like- 


19%  A   STAR   IN    THE    WiSST. 

wise  say  yah  at  the  beginning  of  tbeir  religious  danees,  \^ith 
a  bowing  posture  of  body — then  they  sing  y,  y,  y,  ho,  ho,  ho, 
he,  he,  and  repeat  those  sacred  notes  (but  not  the  whole  name) 
on  every  religious  occasion.  The  religious  attendants  calling 
to  Yah,  to  enable  them  humbly  to  supplicate,  seems  to  point 
to  the  Hebrew  custom  of  pronouncing  Jah,  which  signifies  the 
divine  essence.  It  is  well  known,  what  sacred  regard  the 
Jews  had  to  the  great  four  lettered  name,  scarcely  ever  to 
mention  it  in  the  whole,  but  once  a  year,  when  the  high  priest 
went  into  the  holy  sanctuary  on  the  day  of  expiation  of  sins. 
Might  not  the  Indians,  have  copied  from  them  this  sacred  in- 
vocation, and  also  their  religious  forbearance  in  never  men- 
tioning the  whole  name,  but  in  their  sacred  songs  of  praise. 
Their  method  of  invoking  the  great  spirit  in  solemn  hymns, 
with  that  reverend  deportment,  and  spending  a  full  breath  on 
each  of  the  first  tw^o  syllables  or  letters  of  the  awful  divine 
name,  has  a  surprising  analogy  to  the  Jewish  custom,  and 
such  as  no  other  nation  or  people,  even  with  the  advantage 
of  written  records,  have  retained. 

Charlevoix,  speaking  of  the  northern  Indians,  observes, 
that  the  greatest  part  of  their  feasts,  their  songs  and  their 
dances,  appeared  to  him,  to  have  had  their  rise  from  religion, 
and  yet  preserve  some  traces  of  it.  I  have  met  with  some 
persons,  says  he,  who  could  not  help  thinking  that  our  In- 
dians were  descended  from  the  Jews ;  and  found  in  every 
thing,  some  affinity  between  them  and  the  people  of  God. 
There  is  indeed  a  resemblance  in  some  things,  as  not  to  use 
knives^at  certain  meals,  and  not  to  break  the  bones  of  the 
beast  that  they  eat  at  the  these  times,  (and  we  may  add,  that 
they  never  eat  the  part  under  the  lower  joint  of  the  thigh, 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WliST.  195 

but  always  throw  it  away.)  The  separation  of  their  women, 
at  certain  periods.  Some  persons  have  heard  them,  or  thought 
they  heard  them,  pronounce  the  word,  hallalujahf  in  their 
songs.  The  feast  tliey  make,  at  the  return  of  their  hunters, 
and  of  w^hicli  they  must  leave  notliing,  has  also  hecn  taken 
for  a  hurnt  oifering,  or  for  the  remains  of  the  passover  of  the 
Israelites :  and  the  rather,  they  say,  hecause  when  any  one 
family  cannot  compass  his  portion,  he  may  get  the  assistance 
of  his  neighhour,  as  was  practised  hy  the  people  of  God,  when 
a  family  was  not  sufficient  to  eat  the  whole  paschal  lamb. 

The  Israelites  of  old  w^ere  ordered  by  Mosos  to  fix  in  the 
tabernacle  (as  Solomon  did  afterwards  in  the  temple,  all  by 
command  of  God)  Cherubim  over  the  mercy  seat.  The  cur- 
tains also  which  lined  the  walls  and  the  veil  of  the  temple,  had 
tlie  like  figures  on  them.  The  Cherubim  are  said  to  have 
represented  the  names,  yo-he-wah-elohim,  in  redeeming  lost 
mankind,  and  means  the  similitude  of  the  great  and  mighty 
one,  whose  emblems  in  the  congregational  standards,  were, 
»<  the  buU,  the  lion,  the  man  and  the  cagle.^'  So  Ezekiel  in- 
forms us  the  Cherubim  were  uniform  and  had  these  four  com- 
pounded  animal  emblems.  Every  one  had  four  faces  (ap- 
pearances, habits  or  forms.)— x  chap.  14,  20,  22.  Each  of 
the  Cherubim,  according  to  the  prophet,  had  the  head  and 
face  of  a  man ;  the  likeness  of  an  eagle  about  the  shouldei-s, 
with  expanded  wings ;  their  necks,  manes  and  breasts  re- 
sembled those  of  a  lion,  and  their  feet  those  of  a  bull  or  calf; 
the  soles  of  their  feet,  were  like  a  calf's  foot.  Ezek.  i.  i,  5,  6. 
"And  I  looked  and  behold  a  whirlwind  came  out  of  the  north, 
a  great  cloud  and  a  fire  hifolding  itself,  and  a  brightness  was 
about  it,  and  out  of  the  midst  thereof  as  the  colour  of  amber* 


s 

I 


196  A   STAR  IN  THE  WEST; 

put  of  the  midst  of  the  fire— also  out  of  the  midst  thereof,  the 
likeness  of  four  living  creatures.  And  this  was  their  appear- 
ance ; — they  had  the  likeness  of  a  man,  and  every  one  had  four 
faces,  and  every  one  had  four  wings,"  &c.  &;c. — 10th  ver. 
*'  As  for  the  likeness  of  their  faces,  tliey  four  had  the  face  of  a 
man  and  the  face  of  a  lion  on  the  right  side  ;  and  they  four 
had  the  face  of  an  ox  on  the  left  side ;  and  they  four  also  had 
the  face  of  an  eagle-— vide  ver.  11.  These  are  the  terrestial 
cheruhira,  and  the  psalmist  represents  them  as  the  chariot  of 
divine  majesty,  and  displays  liis  transcendant  and  glorious 
title  of  King  of  Kings.  Psalms  xviii.  7, 11 — «  God  sitteth 
between  and  ridcth  upon  the  cherubim"  as  a  divine  chariot — 
ibid.  xcix.  1. 

So  the  American  Indians,  particularly  the  Cherokees  and 
Choktaws,  have  some  very  humble  representation  of  these 
cherubimical  figures,  in  their  places  of  worship,  or  beloved 
square ;  where,  through  a  strong  religious  principle,  they 
dance  almost  every  winter's-night,  always  in  a  bowing  pos- 
ture, and  frequently  singing,  halleluyah,  yo,  he,  wah.  They 
j  have  in  these  places  of  worship,  which  Adair  says  he  has 
seen,  two  white  painted  eagles,  carved  out  of  poplar  wood, 
with  their  wings  stretched  out,  and  raised  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  standing  in  the  corner,  close  to  the  red  and  white  im- 
perial seats ;  and  on  the  inner  side  of  each  of  the  notched 
pieces  of  wood,  where  the  eagles  stand,  the  Indians  frequent- 
ly paint  with  a  white  chalky  clay,  the  figure  of  a  man,  with 
buffalo's  horns,^  and  that  of  a  panther,  the  nearest  animal 
in  America,  to  that  of  a  lion,  with  the  same  colour.     These 

♦  It  was  an  ancient  custom  amongst  the  eastern  nations,  to  use  horns  as  an  em- 
V.em  of  power,  which  the  Indians  always  do. 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  197 

figures  they  paint  a-fresh  at  the  first  fruit  offering,  or  the  an- 
nual expiation  of  sins.  Yet  it  has  never  been  known  that 
the  Indians  ever  substituted  the  eagle,  panther,  or  the  simili- 
tude of  any  thing  whatever,  as  objects  of  divine  adoration,  in 
the  room  of  the  great  invisible  divine  essence.  Nay,  they 
often  give  large  rewards  for  killing  an  eagle,  and  they  kill  the 
panther  wherever  they  find  him. 

The  ideas  which  a  peoi)le  form  of  tlie  supreme  deity,  will 
direct  to  the  nature  of  their  religious  worship.  Among  the  south- 
ern Indians,  Ish-to-Iioolo  is  an  appellation  for  God.  It  points 
at  the  greatness,  purity  and  goodness  of  the  creator,  in  form- 
ing man.  It  is  derived  as  is  said  from  IshtOf  great,  which  you 
find  in  all  the  prophetical  writings,  attributed  to  God.  Also 
from  the  present  tense  of  the  infinitive  mood  of  the  active 
verb  ahoolOf  "  I  love,"  and  from  the  preter  tense  of  the  pas- 
sive verb  haolOf  that  is  sanctifying,  sanctified,  divine  or  holy. 
Women  set  apart,  they  term  hoolo^  that  is,  sanctifying  them- 
selves to  Ish'to-hoolo.  So  Netakhoolo  signifies  a  sanctified  or 
holy  day.  So  Okka  hodo,  water  sanctified.  Thus  Ish-io-JioolOy 
when  applied  to  God,  in  its  true  radical  meaning,  imports  the 
great  beloved  holy  causCf  which  is  exceedingly  comprehensive 
and  more  expressive  of  tlie  true  nature  of  God,  tlian  the  He- 
brew name  ddonai,  which  may  be  applicable  to  a  human  be- 
ing. When  they  apply  the  epithet,  compounded,  to  any  of 
their  own  religious  men,  it  signifies,  the  great  holy^  belovedf 
sandijied  man  of  the  fioly  out. 

They  make  the  divine  name  point  yet  more  strongly  to  the 
supreme  author  of  nature.  For  as  abba,  signifies  father,  so, 
to  distinguish  God,  as  the  king  of  kings,  by  his  attributes, 
from  their  own  Minggo  Ishto,  or  great  chief,  they  frequently 


198  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

name  God  Minggo  Ishto  Mba,  Ishto  Mba,  Mnggo  Mba,  &c. 
and  when  they  strive  to  move  the  passions,  Ishto  JIoolo  Mba, 
They  liave  another  more  sacred  appellative,  which  with  them 
is  the  mysterious  essential  name  of  God.  The  tctragrammana- 
ton  of  the  Hebrews,  or  the  great  four  lettered  name  already 
mentioned,  F.  0.  jQTe,  wah.  This  they,  like  the  Hebrews, 
never  mention  altogether  in  common  speech.  Of  the  time 
and  place,  when  and  where  they  mention  it,  they  are  very 
particular,  and  always  witli  a  solemn  air. 

The  Indians  have  among  them  orders  of  men  answering  to 
our  prophets  and  priests.  In  the  Muskohge  language,  HitcJi 
Lalage,  signifies  cunning  men,  or  persons  prescient  of  futurity, 
much  the  same  with  the  Hebrew  seer.  But  the  Indians  in 
general  call  their  pretended  prophets,  Loa-che,  men  resem- 
bling the  holy  fire,  or  elohim.  Their  tradition  says,  that  their 
forefathers  were  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  divine  spirit, 
by  which  they  foretold  things  future,  and  conti'ded  the  com- 
mon course  of  nature ;  and  this  they  transmitted  to  their  off- 
spring, pro\ided  they  obeyed  the  sacred  laws  annexed  to  it. 
They  believe  that  by  the  communication  of  the  same  divine 
fire,  working  in  their  Loa-che,  they  can  yet  effect  the  like. 
But  tliey  say  it  is  out  of  the  reach  of  JV*a7Mi  Ookproo,  or  bad 
people,  either  to  comprehend  or  perform  such  things,  because 
the  holy  spirit  of  fire  will  not  co-operate  with  or  actuate  Hot- 
inch  OoJcproo,  the  accui^ed  people.  <'  A  sachem  of  the  Min^ 
tribe,  being  observed  to  look  at  the  great  comet  which  appear- 
ed the  first  day  of  October,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty,  was  asked,  what  he  thought  w^as  the  meaning  of  that 
prodigious  appearance  ?  answered  gravely,  <*  It  signifies  that 
we  Indians  shall  melt  away,  and  this  country  be  inhabited  by 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  199 

another  people." — Smith's  New-Jersey,  136,  in  a  note.  How 
this  Indian  came  by  Ins  knowledge,  without  the  learned  Wins- 
ton's astronomical  tables,  or  whether  he  had  any  knowledge, 
is  not  so  material.  He  will,  however,  be  allowed  as  gx)od  a 
right  to  pretend  to  it,  when  the  event  is  considered,  as  the 
other  had  in  his  conjectures  concerning  the  cause  of  Noah's 
flood.  At  all  events,  this  Indian  must  have  reasoned  well, 
and  had  pretty  clear  conceptions  of  the  effects  that  would  nat- 
urally follow  such  causes. 

Mr.  Beatty  gives  much  the  same  account  of  their  prophets 
among  the  Delawai'e  nations  or  tribes,  above  forty-five  years 
ago.  They  consult  the  prophets  upon  any  extraordinary  occa- 
sion— as  in  great  or  uncommon  sickness,  or  mortality,  &e. 
This,  he  says,  seems  to  be  in  imitation  of  the  Jews  of  old,  en- 
quiring of  their  prophets.  Ishto  Hoolo  is  the  name  of  all  their 
great  beloved  men,  and  the  pontifical  office  descends  by  inheri- 
tance to  the  eldest. 

It  cannot  be  expected  but  that  the  dress  of  the  old  Indian 
high-priest,  or  rather,  their  great  beloved  man,  or  the  first  and 
oldest  among  the  beloved  men,  sliould  be  different  from  that  of 
the  high-priest  of  the  Jews.  The  poverty  and  distressed  con- 
dition of  the  Indians,  renders  such  a  conformity  impossible ; 
but  notwithstanding  the  traces  of  agreement  are  really  aston- 
ishing, considering  their  circumstances,  and  their  having  no 
means  of  knowing  what  it  was,  but  by  tradition,  being 
deprived  of  all  records  relative  to  it. 

Before  the  Indian  Archi-magus,  or  high-priest,  officiates  in 
making  the  supposed  holy  fire,  for  the  yearly  atonement  for 
sin,  as  will  soon  be  shewn,  he  clothes  himself  with  a  white 
garment,  resembling  the  ephod  of  the  Jews,  being  made  of 


^00  X   STAR  IN   THE    WEST. 

a  finely  dressed  deer  or  doe  skin,  and  is  a  waistcoat  without 
sleeves.  When  he  enters  on  that  solemn  duty,  a  beloved  at- 
tendant spreads  a  white  dressed  buckskin=^  on  the  white  seat, 
which  stands  close  to  the  supposed  holiest  division  of  their 
place  of  worship,  and  then  puts  some  white  beads  on  it,  that 
arc  offered  by  the  people.  Then  the  Archi-magus  wraps 
ix)und  his  shoulders  a  consecrated  skin  of  the  same,  sort,  which 
reaching  across  under  his  arms,  he  ties  behind  his  back,  with 
two  knots  on  his  legs,  in  the  form  of  a  figure  of  eight.  Instead 
of  going  barefoot,  he  wears  a  new  pair  of  white  buckskin  moc- 
asins,  made  by  himself,  and  stiched  with  the  sinews  of  the 
animal.  He  paints  the  upper  part  of  them  across  the  toes, 
with  a  few  streaks  of  red,  made  of  the  red  root,  which  is  their 
symbol  of  holy  things,  as  the  vermilion  is  of  war.  These 
shoes  he  never  wears  at  any  other  time,  and  leaves  them 
with  the  other  parts  of  his  pontifical  dress,  when  the  service 
is  over,  in  the  beloved  place. 

In  resemblance  of  the  sacred  breast-plate,  the  American 
priest  wears  a  breast-plate,  made  of  a  white  conck-shell,  with 
two  holes  bored  in  tlie  middle  of  it,  through  which  he  puts  the 
ends  of  an  otter  skin  strap,  and  fastens  a  buckhorn  white  button 
to  the  outside  of  each,  as  if  in  imitation  of  the  precious  stones 
of  urim  and  thumira,  which  miraculously  blazoned  on  the  high- 
priest's  breast,  the  unerring  words  of  the  divine  oracle.  In- 
stead  of  the  plate  of  gold  which  he  wore  on  his  forehead,  with 
the  words  holy,  or  separated  to  God,  the  Indian  wears  around 
his  temples  either  a  wreath  of  swan's  feathers,  or  a  long  piece 
of  swanskin  doubled,  so  as  only  the  fine  snowy  down  appears 

*  When  the  high -priest  of  the  Jews  went  into  the  holy  of  holies,  on  the  day  of 
expiation,  he  clothed  himself  in  white  ;  and  when  the  service  was  orer,  he  iCft 
those  clothes  in  the  tabernacle.-- Levit.  xvi.  4-33. 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST,  l©i 

on  each  side.  And  in  likeness  of  the  tiara  of  the  former,  the 
latter  wears  on  the  crown  of  his  head  a  tuft  of  white  feathers, 
which  they  call  yaterah,  hut  the  meaning  of  tlie  word  is  not 
known.  He  also  fastens  a  number  of  blunted  wild  turkey 
cocks'  spurs  towards  the  toes  of  his  mocasins,  as  if  in  resem- 
jblancc  of  the  bells  which  the  Jewish  high-priest  wore  on  his 
coat  of  blue. 

Bai-tram  assures  us,  *^  that  there  is  in  every  town  or  tribe, 
an  high-priest,  usually  nick-named  by  the  white  people,  the 
juggler  or  conjurer,  besides  several  of  inferior  rank.  But 
that  the  oldest  high  priest  or  seer  presides  always  in  spiritual 
things,  and  is  a  person  of  great  consequence.  He  maintains 
and  exercises  great  influence  in  the  state,  particularly  in  mil- 
itary affairs ;  their  senate  or  great  council  never  determining 
on  an  expedition  without  his  council  and  assistance.  These 
people  believe  most  firmly,  that  their  seer  or  high  priest  has 
communion  with  powerful  invisible  spirits,  who  they  suppose 
have  some  share  in  the  rule  and  government  of  human  affairs, 
as  well  as  in  that  of  the  elements.  He  further  adds,  that 
these  Indians  are  by  no  means  idolaters,  unless  their  pujffing 
the  tobacco  smoke  towards  the  sun,  and  rejoicing  at  the  ap» 
pearance  of  the  new  moon,  may  be  termed  so.*"  So  far  from 
idolatry  are  they  that  they  have  no  images  among  them,  nor 
any  religious  rite  or  ceremony  relating  to  them,  that  I  could 
ever  perceive, 

<<  They  adore  the  great  spirit,  the  giver  and  taker  away  of 
the  breath  of  life,  with  the  most  profound  and  respectful  hem- 

*  It  is  rather  supposed  that  they  use  the  smoke  of  the  sacred  stem  or  pipe,  as 
the  Jews  did  their  incense— and  as  to  the  new  moon,  as  they  reckpn  their  time 
by  ir,  they  are  as  careful  ^ibierrer*  of  it,  as  the  Jews  were 


5202  A    STAR   IN    THE    AVESf. 

age.  They  believe  in  a  future  state,  vv  here  the  spirit  cxist», 
which  they  call  the  world  of  spirits,  where  they  enjoy  differ- 
ent degrees  of  tranquility  and  comforts  agreeably  to  their  life 
spent  here.  They  hold  their  beloved  man  or  priest  in  great 
respect,  and  pay  stiict  obedience  to  what  he  directs." 

Thesxj  religious  beloved  men,  are  also  supposed  to  be  in 
great  favour  with  the  deity,  and  able  to  pixxjure  rain  when 
they  please.     In  this  respect  also,  we  may  observe  a  great 
conformity  to  the  practice  of  the  Jews.     Their  records  infore^ 
us,  that  in  the  moon  Abib  or  Nisan,  they  prayed  for  the  spring 
or  latter  rain,  to  be  so  seasonable  and  sufficient  as  to  give 
them  a  good  harvest;  and  the  Indians  have  a  tradition,  that 
their  fore-fathers  sought  for,  and  obtained  such  seasonable 
rains,  as  gave  them  plentiful  crops  continually ;  and  they  now 
seek  them,  in  a  manner  agreeable  to  a  shadow  of  this  tradi- 
tion. 
I     la  the  year  17i7,  a  Natchez  warrior  told  Adair,  that  while 
I  one  of  their  prophets  was  using  his  divine  invocations  for  rain, 
[  he  was  killed  by  thunder  on  the  spot ;  upon  which  account  the 
I  spirit  of  praphecy  ever  after  subsided  among  them,  and  he 

\  became  the  last  of  their  reputed  propliets.     They  believed 

I 

tliat  the  hoty  qririt  of  fire  had  killed  him  with  some  of  his  an- 
gry darting  lire,  for  wilful  impurity  ;  and  by  his  threatening 
voice,  forbad  them  to  renew  the  like  attempt;  and  justly  con- 
cluded, that  if  they  all  lived  well,  they  should  fare  well  and 
have  proper  seasons.  This  opinion  coincides  with  that  of  the 
Hebrews,  wlio  esteemed  thunder-struck  individuals  as  under 
the  displeasure  of  heaven,  and  they  also  observed  and  enforc- 
ed such  rules  of  external  purity  as  none  of  the  nations  obscrv- 
ed,  except  the  Hebrews. 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  203 

As  the  Jewish  prophets  had  oracuJar  answers  to  their  pray- 
ers, so  the  Indian  prophets,  who  invoke  yo-he-ivah  and  medi- 
ate with  the  supreme  holy  fire,  that  he  may  give  seasonahle 
rains,  have  a  transparent  stone  of  supposed  great  power  in 
assisting  to  bring  down  the  rain,  when  it  is  put  in  a  basin  of 
water  agreeably  to  a  reputed  divine  virtue  impressed  on  one 
of  the  like  sort,  in  times  of  old,  which  communicates  itcireu- 
larh'. 

This  stone  would  suffer  great  injury,  as  they  assert,  were 
it  even  seen  by  their  own  laity ;  but  if  by  foreigners,  it  w  ould 
be  utterly  despoiled  of  its  divine  communicative  power.  Tliis 
looks  something  like  a  tradition  of  the  blazing  stones  of  Urim 
and  Thumim.  As  the  Jew^s  had  a  sanctum  sanctorum,  or 
most  holy  place  in  their  tabernacle  and  temple,  so  have  all  the 
Indian  nations,  particularly  the  Mnskohge  nation.  It  is  par- 
titioned off  by  a  mud  wall,  about  breast  high,  between  the 
white  seat,  which  always  stands  to  the  left  hand  of  the  red 
painted  war  seat.  There  they  deposit  their  consecrated  ves- 
sels and  supposed  holy  utensils,  none  of  the  laity  daring  to 
approach  that  sacred  place  for  fear  of  particular  damage  to 
themselves,  and  a  general  hurt  to  the  people,  from  the  sup- 
posed divinity  of  the  place. 

According  to  Mr*  Baii;ram,  the  great  or  public  squaiT.  of 
the  southern  towns,  generally  stands  alone,  in  the  centre  and 
highest  part  of  the  town.  It  consists  of  four  square  or  cubical 
buildings  of  one  story  high — uniform  and  of  the  same  dimen- 
sions, so  situated  as  to  form  an  exact  tetragon,  encompassing 
an  area  of  half  an  acre  of  ground,  more  or  less,  according  to 
the  strength  and  size  of  the  town,  or  will  of  the  inhabitants. 
One  of  tliese  buildings  is  the  council-house,  where  all  public 


204  A   STAK  IN   THE   WEST, 

business  is  done.  Another  of  these  buildings  differs  from  the 
rest — It  is  closely  shut  up  on  three  sides,  and  has  a  partition 
wall  run  through  it,  longitudinally  from  end  to  end,  dividing 
it  into  two  apartments,  the  back  part  is  dark,  having  only  three 
small  arched  apertures  or  holes  opening  into  it  from  the  front 
apartment,  and  are  but  just  sufficient  for  a  man  to  go  in  at. 
This  secluded  place,  appears  to  be  designed  as  a  sanchiary 
or  sacred  part  of  the  temple,  as  it  is  said  among  them,  to  be 
death  for  any  person,  but  the  Mico,  or  high  priest,  to  enter 
into  it,  and  none  are  ever  admitted,  unless  by  permission  of 
the  priests,  who  guard  it  night  and  day.  Here  are  deposited 
all  the  sacred  tilings,  as  the  physic-pot,  rattles,  chaplets,  ea- 
gle's tail,  calumet  or  sacred  stem,  the  pipe  of  peace,  &c.  But 
children  and  females  are  never  admitted. 

At  this  time  the  people  of  the  town  were  fasting,  taking 
medicine,  and  praying  to  avert  a  grievous  calamity  of  sick- 
ness which  then  afflicted  them.  They  fasted  seven  or  eight 
days,  during  whicli  they  neither  eat  or  drank  any  thing,  but  a 
meagre  gruel  made  of  corn  flour  and  water,  at  the  same  time 
drinking  their  black  drink  or  physic,  which  acts  as  a  severe 
emetic. 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  301^ 


CHAPTER  VII. 

T'heir  Public  Worship  and  Religious  Opinims, 

THE  Indians,  in  general,  keep  the  following  religious  fasts 
and  festivals — 

1.  Their  Feast  of  First  Fruits,  and  after  it,  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  day,  one  something  like  the  Passover. 

2.  The  Hunter's  Feast,  like  that  of  Pentecost. 

3.  The  Feast  of  Harvest  and  day  of  expiation  of  sin. 

4.  A  daily  Sacrifice. 

5.  A  Feast  of  Love. 

1st.  Their  Feast  of  First  Fruits  and  Passover. 

Mr.  Penn,  wlio  found  them  perfectly  in  a  state  of  nature, 
and  wholly  a  stranger  to  their  manners  and  characters,  and 
who  could  not  have  had  any  knowledge  of  them  but  from  what 
he  saw  and  heard  for  some  months  he  remained  with  them,  on 
his  first  visit  to  their  country,  informs  his  friends  in  England, 
in  one  of  his  first  letters,  in  1683,  *'  that  he  considered  these 
poor  people  as  under  a  dark  night  in  tilings  relating  to  religion  ; 
yet  that  they  believed  in  a  god,  and  immortality,  without  the 
help  of  metaphysics,  for  they  informed  him  tliat  tliere  was  a 
great  king  who  made  them,  who  dwelled  in  a  glorious  country 
to  the  southward  of  them ;  and  that  the  souls  of  the  good  wOl 
go  thither,  where  they  shall  live  again.  Their  worship  con- 
sists of  two  parts — sacrifice   and  cantico.    The  first  is  with 


206  A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 

their  fivst  fruits.  The  first  and  fattest  buck  they  kill  goeth 
to  the  fire,  where  he  is  all  burnt  with  a  doleful  ditty  of  him 
who  performs  the  ceremony,  but  with  such  marvellous  ferven- 
cy and  labour  of  body,  that  he  will  even  sweat  to  a  foam. 

The  other  part  is  their  cantico,  performed  by  round  dances 
—sometimes  words — sometimes  songs — then  shouts — two  are 
in  the  middle,  who  begin,  and  by  singing  and  druming  on  a 
board,  direct  tlic  chorus.  This  is  done  with  equal  earnest- 
ness and  labour,  but  with  great  appearance  of  joy.  In  the 
fall  when  the  corn  cometh  in,  they  begin  to  feast  one  another. 
There  have  been  two  great  festivals  already,  to  which  all 
come,  who  will.  Mr.  Penn  was  at  one  himself. — "  Their  en- 
tertainment was  at  a  great  seat  by  a  spring,  under  some  sha- 
dy trees.  It  consisted  of  twenty  bucks,  with  hot  cakes  made 
of  new  corn,  with  both  wheat  and  beans,  which  they  make 
up  in  a  square  form,  in  the  leaves  of  the  corn,  and  then  bake 
them  in  the  ashes— tliey  then  fall  to  dancing ;  But  all  who 
go  to  this  feast  must  take  a  small  present  in  their  money,  it 
might  be  but  six  pence,  whicli  is  made  of  the  bone  of  a  fish. 
The  black  is  with  them  as  gold,  and  the  white  as  silver — 
they  call  it  wampmu^*  Afterwards  speaking  of  their  agree- 
ment in  rites  with  the  Hebrews,  he  says  that  "they  reckon 
by  moons — they  offer  their  first  fruits — they  have  a  kind  of 
Feast  of  Tabernacles — they  are  said  to  lay  their  altars  upon 
twelve  stones — they  mourn  a  year — ^they  have  a  separation  of 

\womcn;  with  many  other  things  that  do  not  now  occur. 
/    From  Mr.  Adair,  the  following  account,  or  rather  abstract, 

fof  his  account  of  the  feast  and  fast  of  what  may  be  called  their 

I  Passover,  and  Feast  of  First  Fruits,  is  made. 


A    STAK   IN    TIIE    WEST.  :iU7 

On  the  day  appointed  (which  was  among  the  Jews,  generally 
in  the  spring,  answering  to  our  March  and  April,  when  their 
barley  was  ripe,  being  the  first  month  of  tlieir  ecclesiastical, 
and  the  seventh  of  their  civil  year,  and  among  the  Indians, 
as  soon  as  their  first  spring  produce  comes  in)  while  the  sanc- 
tified new  fruits  arc  dressing,  six  old  beloved  women  come  to 
their  temple,  or  sacred  wigw  am  of  worship,  and  dance  the 
beloved  dance  with  joyful  hearts.  They  observe  a  solemn 
procession  as  they  enter  the  holy  ground,  or  beloved  square, 
carrying  in  one  hand  a  bundle  of  small  branches  of  various 
green  trees ;  when  they  are  joined  by  the  same  number  of 
beloved  old  men,  who  carry  a  cane  in  one  hand,  adorned  with 
white  feathers,  having  green  boughs  in  the  other  hand. 
Their  heads  ai'e  dressed  with  w'hite  plumes,  and  the  women 
in  their  finest  clothes  and  anointed  with  bear's  grease  or  oil, 
having  also  small  tortoise  shells  and  white  pebbles  fastened  to 
a  piece  of  white  dressed  deer  skin,  which  is  tied  to  eadi  of 
their  legs.  The  eldest  of  the  beloved  men,  leads  the  sacred 
dance  at  the  head  of  the  innermost  row,  which  of  course  is 
next  the  holy  fire.  He  begins  tlie  dance,  after  once  going 
round  the  holy  fire,  in  solemn  and  religious  silence.  He  then 
in  the  next  circle,  invokes  yah,  after  their  usual  manner,  on  a 
bass  key  and  with  a  short  accent.  In  anotlier  circle,  he  sings 
ho,  ho,  which  is  repeated  by  all  the  religious  procession,  till 
they  finish  that  circle.  Then  in  another  round,  they  repeat 
he,  he,  in  like  manner,  in  regidar  notes,  and  keeping  time  in 
the  dance.  Another  circle  is  continued  in  like  manner,  with 
repeating  the  word  ivaJi,  xvah  (making  in  the  whole,  the  di- 
vine and  holy  name  of  yaJi,  ho,  he,  waL)  A  little  after  this 
is  finished,  which  takes  considerable  tiHiC,  they  begin  again. 


2B8  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

going  fresh  rounds,  singing  hal-hal'k'le-lU'lU'yah'yah,  in  like 
manner^  and  frequently  the  whole  train  strike  up  hallelu,  hal- 
klu,  haUeluyahf  halleluyahf  with  great  earnestness,  fervour  and 
joy,  while  each  strikes  the  ground  with  right  and  left  feet  al- 
ternately, very  quick,  but  well  timed.  Then  a  kind  of  hol- 
low sounding  drum,  joins  the  sacred  choir,  which  excites  the 
old  female  singers  to  chant  forth  their  grateful  hymns  and 
praises  to  the  divine  spirit,  and  to  redouble  their  quick,  joyful 
steps,  in  imitation  of  the  leader  of  tlie  beloved  men,  at  theii* 
head. 

This  appears  very  similar  to  the  dances  of  the  Hebrews, 
and  may  we  not  reasonably  suppose,  that  they  formerly  under- 
stood the  psalms  and  divine  hymns,  at  least  those  which  be- 
gin or  end  with  hallehfjah ;  otherwise  how  comes  it  to  pass, 
that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  extensive  regions  of  North  and 
South  America,  have  and  retain  these  very  expressive  He- 
brew words,  and  repeat  them  so  distinctly,  applying  them 
after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrews,  in  their  religious  acclama- 
tions. 

On  other  religious  occasions,  and  at  their  Feast  of  Love,  they 
sing  ale-yOf  ak-yo,  which  is  the  divine  name  by  the  attribute 
of  omnipotence.  They  likewise  sing  he-wah,  he-wah,  which 
is  the  immortal  soul,  drawn  from  the  divine  essential  name, 
as  deriving  its  faculties  from  yo-he-wah.  These  words  of 
their  religious  dances,  they  never  repeat  at  any  other  time, 
which  has  greatly  contributed  to  the  loss  of  their  meaning ; 
for  it  is  believed  they  have  grown  so  corrupt,  as  not  now  to 
understand  either  the  spiritual  or  literal  meaning  of  what 
they  sing,  any  farther  than  by  allusion  to  the  name  of  the 
great  spirit. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  209 

In  these  circuitous  dances,  they  frequently  also  sing  on  a 
bass  key,  aluJie^  aluhe,  aluwah,  aluwah.  Also  sJiilu-yOf  sldln- 
yo,  shilu-he,  shihi-he,  shilu-wahf  shilU'-wah,  and  shilu-hah, 
shiliL'hah,^  They  transpose  them  also  several  ways,  but 
with  the  very  same  notes.  The  tlirec  terminations  make 
up  the  four  lettered  divine  name*  Hah  is  a  note  of  glad- 
ness and  joy.  The  word  preceding  it,  shilu,  seems  to  ex- 
press the  predicted  human  and  divine  Sliiloh,  who  was  to  be 
the  purifier  and  peace  maker.  They  continue  their  grate- 
ful divine  hymns  for  the  space  of  about  fifteen  minutes,  and 
then  break  up.  As  they  degenerate,  they  lengthen  their 
dances,  and  shorten  the  time  of  their  fasts  and  purifications ; 
insomuch,  that  they  have  so  exceedingly  corrupted  their  prim- 
itive rites  and  customs,  within  the  space  of  tlie  last  tliirty 
years,  (now  about  eighty  years)  that,  at  the  same  rate  of  de- 
clension, there  will  not  long  be  a  possibility  of  tracing  their 
origin,  but  by  their  dialects  and  war  customs.  At  the  end  of 
this  notable  religious  dance,  the  old  beloved  women  return 
home  to  hasten  the  feast  of  the  new  sanctified  fruits.  In  the 
mean  time,  every  one  at  the  temple  drinks  plentifully  of  the 
cussena  and  other  bitter  liquids,  to  cleanse  their  sinful  bodies, 
as  they  suppose.  After  which,  they  go  to  some  convenient 
deep  water,  and  there,  according  to  the  ceremonial  law  of  the 
Hebrews,  they  wasli  away  their  sins  with  water.  They  then 
return  with  great  joy,  in  solemn  procession,  singing  their  notes 
of  praise,  till  they  again  enter  their  holy  ground,  to  eat  of  the 
new  delicious  fruits,  which  are  brought  to  the  outside  of  the 

♦  Cnulen,  in  his  Concordance,  says — "  All  christian  commentators  agree,  that 
the  word  Shiloh  ought  to  be  understood  of  theMessiah,  of  Jesus  Christ.  Jerome 
translates  it,  by  qui  met  bendus  est— He  who  is  to  be  sent;  and  manifestly  reads  Shi* 
biach,  sent,  instead  of  Shiloh." 

2E 


CIO  A    STAR    IN    THE   AVBST. 

square  by  tlie  old  beloved  women.  They  all  behave  so  mod- 
estly, and  are  passessed  of  such  au  extraordinary  constancy 
and  equanimity  in  pui-suit  of  their  religious  mysteries,  that  they 
do  not  shew  the  least  outward  emotion  of  pleasure  at  the  fii*st 
sight  of  the  sanctified  new  fruits.  If  one  of  them  should  act 
in  a  contrary  maimer,  they  would  say  to  him  che-hakset- 
Kanaha-^— You  resemble  such  as  were  beat  in  Kanaha. — 
Formerly,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Susquehannah  river,  in 
Pennsylvania,  were  some  old  Indian  towns,  called  Kanaa,  and 
now  about  eighty  years  ago,  there  was  a  remnant  of  a  nation^ 
or  a  subdivided  tribe  of  Indians,  called  Kanaai,  wliich  greatly 
resembles  the  Hebrew  name  Canaan. 
}  Mr.  Smith,  ill  his  History  of  New-Jersey^t  speaking  of  tlie 
I  Indians  in  the  year  1681,  says — *•  Very  little  can  be  said  as 
I  to  their  religion.  They  are  thought  to  believe  in  a  god  and 
immortality,  and  seemed  to  aim  at  public  woi*ship.  When 
they  did  this,  they  sometimes  sat  in  several  circles,  one  witliin 
anotlier.  The  action  consisted  of  singing,  jumping,  shouting 
and  dancing;  but  mostly  performed  rather  as  something 
handed  down  fix)m  their  ancestors,  than  from  any  knowledge 
or  enquiry  into  the  serious  parts  of  its  origin.  They  said  that 
the  great  king  who  made  them,  dwelt  in  a  glorious  country 
to  the  southward,  and  that  the  spirits  of  the  best  should  go 
there  and  live  again.  Their  most  solemn  worsliip  was  the 
sacrifice  of  the  fii'st  fruits,  in  which  they  burnt  the  first  and 
fattest  buck,  and  feasted  together  on  wliat  else  they  had  col- 
lected. But  in  this  sacrifice  broke  no  bones  of  any  creature 
they  eat.  When  done,  they  gathered  the  bones  and  bmied 
them  very  cai'e fully :  these  have  siuce  been  fi'equently  ploughed 
up." — page  liO. 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  211 

Among  the  Indians  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Oliio,  the 
Feast  of  the  First  Fruits  is  thus  described  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Charles  Beatty,  who  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  ceremony  : 
Before  they  make  use  of  any  of  the  first  or  spring  fruits  of 
the  ground,  twelve  oS  their  old  men  meet,  when  a  deer  and 
some  of  the  first  fruits  are  provided.  The  deer  is  divided  into 
twelve  parts,  according  to  the  number  of  tlie  men,  and  the 
€orn  beaten  in  a  mortar  a)i<l  prepared  for  use  by  boiling  or 
baking  into  cakes  under  the  ashes,  and  of  course  unleavened. 
This  also  is  divided  into  twelve  parts.  Then  these  men  hold 
up  the  venison  and  first  fruits,  and  pray  with  their  faces  to 
the  east,  acknowledging,  as  he  supposed,  the  goodness  and 
bounty  of  heaven  towards  them.  It  is  then  eaten ;  after 
which  they  freely  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the  earth. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  they  have  another  public 
feast,  besides  that  of  the  First  Fruits,  which  looks  somewhat 
like  the  Passover ;  when  a  great  quantity  of  venison  is  pro- 
vided, with  other  things,  dressed  in  the  usual  way,  and  dis- 
tributed to  all  the  guests  ;  of  which  they  eat  freely  that  even- 
ing ;  but  that  which  is  left,  is  tlirown  into  the  fire  and  burned, 
as  none  of  it  must  remain  till  sun -rise  on  the  next  day,  nor 
must  a  bone  of  the  venison  be  broken. 

The  writer  of  these  sheets  has  made  great  use  of  Mr. 
Adair's  history  of  the  Indians,  which  renders  it  necessary 
that  something  should  be  further  said  of  him.  Sometime 
about  the  year  1774,  or  1775,  Mr.  Adair  came  to  Elizabetli- 
Town,  where  the  writer  then  lived,  with  his  manuscript,  and 
applied  to  Mr.  Livingston,  afterwards  governor  of  tlie  state 
of  New-Jersey,  a  correct  scholar,  well  known  for  his  literary 
abilities  and  knowledge  of  the  beile-lettres,  requesting  him 


2iS  A    STAR  IN    TUB   WEST. 


to  correct  his  manuscript  for  him.    He  brought  ample  recom 
mendations,  and  gave  a  good  account  of  himself. 

Our  political  troubles  then  increasing,  Mr.  Adair,  who  was 
on  his  way  to  Great-Britain,  was  advised  not  to  risk  being 
detained  from  his  voyage,  till  the  work  could  be  critically  ex- 
amined, but  to  get  off  as  soon  as  possible.  He  accordingly 
took  passage  in  the  first  vessel  that  was  bound  to  England. 

As  soon  as  the  war  was  over,  the  writer  sent  to  London 
and  obtained  a  copy  of  the  work.  After  reading  it  with  care, 
he  strictly  examined  a  gentleman,  then  a  member  with  him 
in  Congress,  of  excellent  character,  who  had  acted  as  our  In- 
dian agent  to  the  southward,  during  the  war,  (without  letting 
him  know  the  design)  and  from  him  found  all  the  leading 
facts  mentioned  herein,  fully  confirmed,  by  his  own  personal 
knowledge. 

The  Feast  of  Weeks,  or  the  Hunter's  Feast,  or  Pentecost. 

An  ancient  missionary,  who  lived  a  long  time  with  the 
Oidaowaies,  has  written,  that  among  these  savages,  an  old 
man  performs  the  office  of  a  priest  at  the  feasts.  That  they 
begin  by  giving  thanks  to  the  great  spirit  for  the  success  of 
the  chase,  or  hunting  time.  Then  another  takes  a  cake, 
breaks  it  in  two,  and  casts  it  in  the  fire.  This  was  upwards 
of  eighty  years  ago. 

Dr.  Beatty  says,  that  once  in  the  year,  some  of  the  tribes 
of  Indians  beyond  the  Ohio,  choose  from  among  themselves 
twelve  men,  who  go  out  and  provide  twelve  deer ;  and  each 
of  them  cuts  a  small  saplin,  from  wliich  they  strip  the  bark, 
to  make  a  tent,  by  sticking  one  end  into  the  ground,  bending 


1 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  21S 

the  tops  over  one  another,  and  covering  the  poles  with 
blankets.  Then  the  twelve  men  choose,  each  of  them,  a 
stone,  which  they  make  hot  in  the  fire,  and  place  them  to- 
gether, after  the  manner  of  an  altar,  within  the  tent,  and 
then  burn  the  fat  of  the  insides  of  the  deer  thereon.=^  At  the 
time  they  are  making  this  offering,  the  men  witliin  cry  to  the 
Indians  without,  who  attend  as  worshippers,  "  wc  pray  or 
praise."  They,  without,  answer,  "  we  hear."  Then  those  in 
the  tent  cry  ho-hah,  very  loud  and  long,  which  appeared  to 
be  something  in  sound  like  halle-lujah.  After  the  fat  was 
thus  offered,  some  tribes  burned  tobacco,  cut  fine,  upon  the 
same  stones,  supposed  in  imitation  of  incense.  Other  tribes 
choose  only  ten  men,  who  provide  but  ten  deer,  ten  saplins,  or 
poles,  and  ten  stones. 

The  southern  Indians  observe  another  religious  custom  of 
the  Hebrews,  as  Adair  asserts,  by  offering  a  sacrifice  of  grat- 
itude, if  they  have  been  successful,  and  have  all  returned  safe 
home.  But  if  they  have  lost  any  in  war,  they  generally  de- 
cline it,  because,  they  imagine,  by  some  neglect  of  duty,  they 
are  impure ;  then  they  only  mourn  their  vicious  conduct,  which 
defiled  the  ark,  and  thereby  occasioned  the  loss. 

Like  the  Israelites,  they  believe  their  sins  are  the  procur- 
ing cause  of  all  their  evils,  and  that  the  divinity  in  the  ark 
will  always  bless  the  more  religious  party  with  the  best  suc- 
cess. This  is  their  invariable  sentiment,  and  is  the  sole  reason 
for  mortifying  themselves  in  so  severe  a  manner  while  they 
are  out  at  war ;  living  very  scantily,  even  in  a  buffalo  range, 

♦  Thou  slialt  sprinkle  the  blood  upon  the  altar,  and  shalt  burn  their  fat  for  at 
offering  made  by  fire,  for  a  sweet  savour  unto  the  Lord. — Numb,  xvlii.  17- 


31*  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

under  a  strict  rule,  lest  by  luxury,  their  hearts  should  grow 
evil,  and  give  them  occasion  to  mourn. 

The  Rev,  Dr.  Beatty,  who  went  into  the  Delaware  nation 
so  long  ago,  informed  the  writer  of  this,  that  he  was  present 
when  there  was  a  great  meeting  of  the  nation,  consulting  on 
a  proposition  for  going  to  war  with  a  neighbouring  nation. 
At  this  time  they  killed  a  buck  and  roasted  it,  as  a  kind  of 
sacrifice,  on  twelve  stones,  on  which  they  would  not  suffer  any 
tool  or  instrument  to  be  used.  That  they  did  not  eat  the  mid- 
dle joint  of  the  thigh.  In  short,  he  assured  the  writer,  that 
he  was  astonished  to  find  so  many  of  the  Jewish  customs  pre- 
vailing among  them,  and  began  to  conclude  that  there  was 
some  affinity  between  tliem  and  the  Jews. 

The  Muskohgee  Indians  sacrifice  a  piece  of  every  deer 
tliey  kill  at  their  hunting  camps,  or  near  home.  If  the  latter, 
tliey  dip  their  middle  finger  in  the  broth,  and  sprinkle  it  over 
the  domestic  tombs  of  tlieir  dead,  to  keep  them  out  of  the 
power  of  evil  spirits,  according  to  their  mythology.  This 
seems  to  proceed  from  a  traditional  knowledge,  though  cor- 
rupt, of  tlie  Hebrew  law  of  springling  with  blood. 

Charlevoix  informs  us,  that  to  be  esteemed  a  good  hunter 
among  the  northern  Indians,  a  man  must  fast  three  days  to- 
gether, without  taking  the  least  nourislnnent,  having  his  face 
smeared  with  black  all  the  time.  Wlien  the  fast  is  over,  the 
candidate  sacrifices  to  the  great  spirit  a  piece  of  each  of  the 
beasts  he  intends  to  hunt.  This  is  commonly  the  tongue  and 
muzzle,  which  at  other  times  arc  the  hunters  peculiar  share, 
to  feast  his  friends  and  strangers  with.  His  family  and  rela- 
tions do  not  touch  them  ;  and  they  would  as  soon  die  with  hun* 
ccr  as  eat  any  of  them. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  215 

Though  the  Indians  in  general  helicve  the  npper  heavens 
are  inhabited  by  Ishto-lioolo  Aba,  and  a  great  multitude  of 
inferior  good  spirits,  yet  tlicy  are  firmly  persuaded  that  the 
divine  omnipresent  spirit  of  fire  and  light,  resides  also  on 
earth,  in  their  annual  sacred  fire,  while  it  is  unjwlluted,  and 
that  he  kindly  accepts  their  lawful  offerings,  if  their  own  con- 
duct is  agreeable  to  the  old  divine  law,  which  was  delivered 
to  their  forefathers.  The  former  notion  of  the  deity,  is  agree- 
able to  those  natural  images  with  wiiich  the  divine  penmen, 
through  all  the  prophetic  writings,  have  drawn  of  Fo.  lie,  Wah, 
Elohim,  When  God  was  pleased  witli  Aaron's  priesthood  and 
offerings,  the  holy  fire  descended  and  consumed  the  burnt 
offering  on  the  altar,  &c.  Throughout  the  Old  Testament, 
this  was  an  emblematic  token  of  the  divine  presence,  and  the 
smoke  of  the  victims  ascending  towards  heaven,  is  repre- 
sented as  a  sweet  savour  to  God — and  the  incense  from  the 
altar  is  emblematic  of  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  And  God  is 
said  in  scripture  to  be  a  consuming  fire— D cut.  iv.  2-^t.  He 
shewed  himself  to  the  prophets  David,  Ezekiel,  and  his  apos- 
tle John,  in  the  midst  of  fire — ^Psalms  civ.  i,  Ezekiel  i.  4> 
Daniel  vii.  9  and  10,  Acts  ii.  3.  God  also  appealed  sur- 
rounded by  a  flame  of  fire  at  the  burning  bush.  And  when 
descending  on  Mount  Sinai,  the  mountain  appeared  enveloped 
in  flaming  fire — Exodus  iii.  2— .xix.  18.  The  people  who 
have  lived  so  long  apart  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  are  not  to 
be  wondered  at,  if  they  have  forgotten  the  meaning  and  end 
©f  the  sacrifices.  They  are  rather  to  be  pitied  for  seeming 
to  believe,  like  the  ignorant  part  of  the  Israelites  of  old,  that 
the  virtue  is  either  in  the  form  of  offering  the  sacrifice,  or  in 
the  divinity,  who  they  imagine  resides  on  earth,  in  tiic  sacred 


216  A  STAR   m  THE   WEST. 

annual  fire  :  likewise,  for  having  forgotten  that  the  blessing 
was  not  in  the  outward  sign,  but  in  the  thing  signifred  or 
typified  by  that  sign. 

The  Feast  of  Harvest  and  Bay  of  Expiation  of  8in, 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  their  most  solemn  and  important 
feast  and  fast,  answerable  to  the  Jewish  Feast  of  Harvest  and 
Day  of  Expiation  of  Sin. 

The  Indians  formerly  observed  this  grand  festival  of  the 
annual  expiation  of  sin,  and  tlie  offering  of  the  first  fruits  of 
the  harvest,  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  new  moon  in  which 
their  corn  became  full  eared,  as  we  learn  from  Adair.  But 
for  many  years  past,  they  are  regulated  by  the  season  of  their 
harvest.  Yet  they  are  as  skilful  in  observing  the  revolutions 
of  the  moon,  as  ever  the  Israelites  were,  at  least  till  the  end 
of  the  first  temple.  For  during  that  period,  instead  of  mea- 
suring time  by  astronomical  calculations,  they  knew  it  only 
by  the  phases  of  the  moon. 

In  like  manner  the  Indians  annually  observed  their  festi- 
vals and  Mdak-Fa-ah,  or  days  of  afflicting  themselves  before 
the  great  spirit,  at  a  prefixed  time  of  a  certain  moon. 

According  to  Charlevoix,  the  harvest  among  the  JVatchez, 
on  the  Missisippi,  is  in  common.  The  great  chief  fixes  the 
day  for  the  beginning  of  the  festival  of  the  harvest,  which 
lasts  three  days,  spent  in  sports  and  feasting.  Each  private 
person  contributes  something  of  his  hunting,  his  fishing,  and 
his  other  provisions,  as  maize,  beans  and  melons.  The  great 
chief  presides  at  the  feast — all  the  sachems  are  round  him, 
in  a  respectful  posture.     The  last  day,  the  chief  makes  a 


A  Star  in  the  west.  S17 

speech  to  the  assembly.  He  exhorts  every  one  to  he  exact  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties,  especially  to  have  a  great 
veneration  for  the  spirit  which  resides  in  the  temple,  and  to 
be  careful  in  instructing  their  children* 

The  fathers  of  families  never  fail  to  bring  to  the  temple  the 
first  produce  of  their  harvest,  and  of  every  tiling  that  they 
gather,  and  they  do  the  same  by  all  the  presents  that  are 
made  to  their  nation.  They  expose  thfem  at  the  door  of  the 
temple,  the  keeper  of  wliich,  after  presenting  them  to  the 
spirit,  carries  them  to  the  king,  who  distributes  them  to 
whom  he  pleases.  The  seeds  are  in  like  manner  offered  be- 
fore the  temple,  with  great  ceremony.  But  the  offerings 
which  are  made  of  bread  and  flour  every  new  moon,  are  for 
the  use  of  the  keepers  of  the  temple. 

As  the  offerings  of  the  fruits  of  the  harvest  precede  a  long 
strict  fast  of  two  nights  and  a  day,  they  gormandize  such  a 
prodigious  quantity  of  strong  food,  as  to  enable  them  to  keep 
inviolate  the  succeeding  fast.  The  feast  lasts  only  from  niorn-^ 
ing  to  sunset. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  this  feast  with  tlie  Hebrews  be- 
gan in  the  month  Tizri,  wliich  was  tlie  first  month  of  the  civil 
year,  answerable  to  our  September  alid  Octobei*.  The  feast 
took  place  previous  to  the  great  day  of  expiation,  which  was 
tlie  tenth  day  of  the  month.  So  the  Indian  corn  being  gen- 
erally full  eared  and  fit  to  eat  about  this  time,  they  are  not 
far  from  the  very  time  directed  in  the  Mosaic  appointment 
for  keeping  it^ 

The  feast  being  over,  some  of  their  people  are  carefully 

employed  in  putting  their  temple  in  proper  order  for  the 

annual  expiation,  while  others  are  painting  the  white  cabin 
%  F 


518  A   STAR   IK   THE   WEST. 

and  the  supposed  holiest  with  white  clay ;  for  it  is  a  sacred 
and  peaceable  place,  and  white  is  its  emblem.  Others  of  an 
inferior  order  are  covering  all  the  seats  of  the  beloved  square 
with  new  matrasses,  made  out  of  fine  splinters  of  long  canes, 
tied  together  with  flags.  Several  are  busy  in  sweeping  the 
temple,  clearing  it  of  every  supposed  polluted  thing,  and  car- 
rying out  the  ashes  from  the  hearth,  which,  perhaps,  had  not 
been  cleaned  but  a  few  times  since  the  last  year's  annual 
offering.  Every  thing  being  thus  prepared,  the  chief  beloved 
man,  or  high-priest,  orders  some  of  his  religious  attendants  to 
.  dig  up  the  old  hearth  or  altar,  and  to  sweep  out  the  remains, 
that  by  chance  miglit  cither  be  left  or  dropped  down.  He 
then  puts  a  few  roots  of  the  button-snake  root,  with  some 
green  leaves  of  an  uncommon  small  sort  of  tobacco,  and  a  lit- 
tle of  the  new  fruits,  at  the  bottom  of  the  fire-place,  which  he 
orders  to  be  covered  up  with  white  marley  clay,  and  wetted 
over  with  clean  water.  Immediately  the  magi  or  priests,  order 
a  thick  arbor  to  be  made  over  the  altar  with  green  branches 
of  the  various  young  trees,  whicli  the  warriors  had  designedly 
chosen  and  laid  down  on  the  outside  of  the  supposed  holy 
ground.  The  women  in  the  interim  are  busy  at  home,  clear- 
ing out  their  houses,  putting  out  all  the  old  fire,  renewing  the 
old  hearths,  and  cleansing  all  their  culinary  vessels,  that  they 
may  be  fit  to  receive  the  pretended  holy  fire,  and  the  sancti- 
fied new  fruits,  according  to  the  purity  of  the  law,  lest  by  an 
improper  conduct,  they  should  incur  damage  in  life,  health,  or 
future  crops,  Sic. 

It  is  fresh  in  the  memory  of  tiie  old  traders,  as  we  are  as- 
sured by  those  wlio  have  lived  long  with  them,  that  formerly 
none  of  those  numerous  nations  of  Indians  would  eat,  or  even 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  gl9 

liandle,  any  pai't  of  the  new  liarvcst,  till  some  of  it  liad  been 
offered  up  at  the  yearly  festival  by  the  beloved  man  or  high- 
priest,  or  those  of  his  appointment  at  their  plantations,*  al- 
though the  light  harvest  of  the  past  year  should  almost  have 
forced  them  to  give  their  women  and  children  of  the  ripening 
fruits  to  sustain  life. 

But  they  are  visibly  degenerating  more  and  more,  both  ia 
this  and  every  other  religious  observance,  except  what  con- 
cerns war ;  yet  their  magi  and  old  warriors  live  contentedly 
on  such  harsh  food  as  nature  afibrds  them  ia  the  woods^  rather 
tlian  transgress  the  divine  precept  given  to  their  forefathers. 

Having  every  thing  in  order  for  the  sacred  solemnity,  the 
I'eligious  waiters  carry  off  the  remains  of  the  feast,  and  lay 
them  on  the  outside  of  the  square.  Others,  of  ajs  inferior 
order,  carefully  sweep  out  the  smallest  crumbs,  for  fear  of 
polluting  the  first  fruit  offering  ;  and  before  simset,  the  tem- 
ple must  be  cleared,  even  of  every  kind  of  vessel  or  utensil 
that  had  contained  any  thing,  or  had  been  used  for  any  kind 
of  provision  during  the  past  year. 

Now  one  of  the  w  aiters  proclaims  with  a  kmd  voice,  for  all 
the  warriore  and  beloved  men,  w  iiom  the  purity  of  their  law 
admits,  to  come  and  enter  the  beloved  square  and  observe  the 
fast*  He  also  exhoiis  the  women  and  cMldrmy  wiih  those  vjJm 
have  not  been  initiated  hi  war,  \io  keep  apart^  acccirdiBg  to  the 
law. 

Four  centinels  are  now  placed,  one  at  each  comer  of  the 
holy  square,  to  keep  out  every  living  creature  as  impure, 

*  VkleLuke,  -vi.  1,  relating  to  the  second  sabbath,  bot  not  the  seTenth-day  sal>- 
Vath,  it  was  the  day  of  crffering  up  the  first  fruits,  before  vilmh  it  vas  »ot  lawful  ta 
eat  ef  the  harvest. 


220  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

except  the  religious  order,  and  the  warriors  who  are  not 
known  to  have  violated  the  law  of  the  first  fruit  offering,  and 
that  of  maiTiage,  since  the  last  year's  expiation.  They  ob- 
serve the  fast  till  the  rising  of  the  second  sun ;  and  he  they 
ever  so  hungry  in  that  sacred  interval,  the  healthy  warriors 
deem  the  duty  so  awful,  and  disobedience  so  inexpressibly  vi- 
cious, that  no  temptation  would  induce  them  to  violate  it. — 
They  at  the  same  time  drink  plentifully  of  a  decoction  of  the 
button-snake  root,  in  order  to  vomit  and  cleanse  their  sinful 
bodies. 

When  we  consider  their  earnest  invocations  of  the  divine 
essence  in  this  solemnity — that  they  never  apply  tliis  root  only 
on  religious  occasions — that  they  frequently  drink  it  to  such 
excess  as  to  impair  their  health  ;  and  take  into  consideration 
its  well  known  property  of  curing  the  bite  of  the  rattle  snake, 
must  not  it  be  concluded,  that  this  has  some  reference  to  the 
cure  of  the  bite  of  the  old  serpent  in  Eden,  or  to  tlie  serpent 
lifted  up  in  the  wilderness. 

In  the  general  fast,  the  children,  and  men  of  weak  consti- 
tutions, are  allowed  to  eat,  as  soon  as  they  are  certain  that  the 
sun  has  begun  to  decline  from  his  meridian  altitude.  This 
seems  to  be  founded  on  the  principle  of  mercy  before  sacrifice 
— and  the  snake  root  used  by  those  in  the  temple,  and  the 
bitter  green  tobacco,  which  is  eaten  by  the  women  and  those 
too  wicked  to  be  admitted  to  the  fast  held  therein,  seem  to 
point  to  eating  of  the  paschal  lamb  with  bitter  herbs. 

Being  great  lovers  of  ripe  fruit,  and  as  yet  only  tantalized 
with  the  sight  of  them,  this  may,  with  justice,  be  said  to  be  a 
fast  to  afflict  their  souls,  and  to  be  a  sufficient  trial  of  their 
religious  principles.    At  the  end  of  this  solemn  fast,  the  wo- 


A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST.  221 

men,  by  the  voice  of  a  crier,  bring  to  the  outside  of  the  holy 
square,  a  plentiful  variety  of  the  old  year's  food  newly  dressed, 
which  they  lay  down  and  immediately  return  home.  The 
waiters  then  go,  and  reaching  their  hands  over  the  holy 
ground,  they  bring  in  the  provisions  and  set  them  down  be- 
fore the  famished  multitude.  They  think  it  wholly  out  of 
order  to  show  any  joy  or  gladness  for  the  end  of  their  reli- 
gious duties.  They  are  as  strict  observers  of  their  set  forms, 
as  the  Israelites  were  of  those  they  received  from  divine 
appointment.  As  soon  as  the  sun  is  visibly  declining  from  the 
meridian,  the  third  day  of  the  fast,  the  chief  beloved  man 
orders  a  religious  attendant  to  cry  aloud  to  the  crowded  town, 
that  the  holy  fire  is  to  be  brought  out  for  the  sacred  altar — 
commanding  every  person  to  stay  within  his  house,  as  becomes 
the  beloved  people,  without  doing  the  least  bad  thing ;  and  to 
be  sure  to  extinguish  Qverj  spark  of  the  old  fire,  otherwise  the 
divine  fire  will  bite  them  severely. 

Now  every  thing  is  hushed.  Nothing  but  silence  all  around. 
The  great  beloved  man,  and  his  beloved  waiter,  rising  up  with 
a  reverend  carriage,  steady  countenance,  and  composed  be- 
haviour, go  into  the  beloved  place,  or  holiest,  to  bring  them 
out  the  beloved  fire.  The  former  takes  a  piece  of  dry  poplar, 
willow,  or  white-oak,  and  having  cut  a  hole,  but  not  so  deep 
as  to  reach  through  it  5  he  then  sharpens  another  piece,  and 
placing  that  in  the  hole,  and  both  between  his  knees,  he  drills 
it  briskly  for  several  minutes,  till  it  begins  to  smoke — or,  by 
rubbing  two  pieces  together  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  col- 
lects, by  friction,  the  hidden  fire,  which  they  all  consider  as 
proceeding  from  the  holy  spirit  of  fire. 


2^  A   STAE  IN  THE   WEST. 

They  then  cherish  it  with  fine  chips,  till  it  glows  into  a 
flame,  hj  using  a  fan  of  the  unsullied  wing  of  a  swan.  On 
this  the  beloved  man  brings  out  the  fire,  in  an  old  earthen 
vessel,  and  lays  it  on  the  altar,  which  is  under  the  arbor, 
thick  weaved  on  the  top  with  green  boughs.*  They  rejoice 
exceedingly  at  this  appearance  of  the  reputed  holy  fire,  as  it 
fe  supposed  to  atone  for  all  their  past  crimes,  except  murder. 
Although  the  people  without,  may  well  know  what  is  doing 
"within,  yet  by  order,  a  crier  informs  them  of  the  glad  tidings, 
and  orders  a  beloved  old  woman  to  pull  a  basket  full  of  the 
new  ripened  fruits,  and  bring  them  to  the  beloved  square.  As 
she  is  prepared  for  the  occasion,  she  readily  obeys,  and  soon 
lays  it  down  at  the  corner  thereof.  Then  the  fire-maker  rises 
from  his  white  seat,  and  walks  northward  three  times  round  the 
holy  fire  with  a  slow  pace,  and  in  a  sedate  and  grave  manner, 
stopping  now  and  then,  and  saying  some  old  ceremonial  words 
Viith  a  low  voice  and  a  rapidity  of  expression,  which  none  un- 
derstand but  a  few  of  the  beloved  old  men,  who  equally  secrete 
their  religious  mysteries,  that  they  may  not  be  profaned.  He 
then  takes  a  little  of  each  sort  of  the  new  fruits,  rubs  some 
beards  oil  over  them,  and  offers  them  up,  together  with  some 
flesh,  to  the  bountiful  spirit  of  fire,  as  a  fruit  offering  and  an 
annual  oblation  for  sin.  He  likewise  pours  a  little  of  a  strong 
decoetion  of  the  button-snake  root,  and  of  tlie  cusseena,  into 
the  pretended  holy  fire.  He  tlien  purifies  the  red  ami  white 
seats  with  those  bitter  liquids,  and  sits  down.  All  culprits  may 
now  come  forth  from  their  hiding  places,  dressed  in  their  finest 
clothes,  to  pay  their  thanks,  at  an  awful  distance,  to  the  forgiv- 

*  Evzn  among  the  Romans,  if  the  sacred  fire  at  any  time  happened  to  be  extin- 
gjoislied,  it  could  only  be  lighted  again  at  the  rays  of  the  sua 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  233 

ing  divine  fire.  Orders  are  now  given  to  call  tlie  women  to 
come  for  the  sacred  fire— They  gladly  obey.  The  great  be- 
loved man,  or  high-priest,  addresses  tlie  warriors  and  women  ; 
giving  all  the  particular  positive  injunctions  and  negative  pre- 
cepts they  yet  retain  of  the  ancient  law.  He  uses  very  sharp 
language  to  the  women.  He  then  addresses  the  whole  multi- 
tude. He  enumerates  tlie  crimes  they  have  committed,  great 
and  small,  and  bids  them  look  at  the  holy  fire  which  has  for- 
given them.  He  presses  on  his  audience,  by  the  great  motives 
of  temporal  good  and  the  fear  of  temporal  evil,  the  necessity  of 
a  careful  observance  of  the  ancient  law,  assuring  them  that  the 
holy  fire  will  enable  their  prophets,  the  rain-makers,  to  pro- 
cure  them  plentiful  harvests,  and^ive  their  war  leaders  vic- 
tory over  their  enemies.  He  then  orders  some  of  the  fire  to 
be  laid  down  outside  of  the  holy  ground,  for  all  the  houses  of 
the  various  associated  towns,  which  sometimes  lay  sevei'al 
miles  apart.^ 

If  any  are  sick  at  home,  or  unable  to  come  out,  they  are 
allowed  one  of  the  old  consecrated  conch  shells  full  of  their 
sanctifying  bitter  cusseena,  carried  to  them  by  a  beloved  old 

*  Dr.  Hyde  says,  that  the  thu'd  state  of  the  Persian  reh'gion  commenced,  m  hen, 
in  imitation  of  the  lire  preserved  upon  the  altar  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  they 
kept  also  a  perpetual  fire  upon  an  altar.  This  gave  occasion  to  the  common  opin- 
ion, that  the  ancient  Persians  worshipped  fire  ;  but  Dr.  Hyde  justifies  them  from, 
that  imputation.  He  owns  that  they  regarded  this  fire  a&  a  thing  sacred,  and  pait! 
it  a  kind  of  service  ;  but  he  denies  that  they  ever  paid  to  it  a  proper  adoration.  Oae 
of  their  priests  said,  that  they  did  not  pay  any  divine  worship  to  mithra,  which  is 
the  sun ;  or  to  the  moon,  or  the  stars,  but  only  turned  towards  the  sun  when  thev 
prayed,  because  the  nature  of  it  nearly  resembled  that  of  fire.  They  regarded  it 
as  an  image  of  God,  and  some  said  God  resided  in  it,  and  othere,  that  it  will  be  ll>e. 
seat  of  the  blessed.  On  the  twenty-fourth  iNIarch  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  parish  in 
Persia  extinguish  the  fire  in  their  houses,  and  go  to  light  it  again  by  tlie  fire  of  the 
priest,  each  paying  him  about  six  shillings  and  three  pencR,  which  serves  for  hh 
support-      They  must  have  taken  this  custom  from  tlie  Jews. 


224  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST* 

man.  This  is  something  like  the  second  Passover  of  the 
Jews.  At  the  conclusion,  the  beloved  man  orders  one  of  his 
religious  waiters  to  proclaim  to  all  the  people  that  the  sacred 
annual  solemnity  is  now  ended,  and  every  kind  of  evil  avert- 
ed from  the  beloved  people,  according  to  the  old  straight  be- 
loved speech.  They  are  then  commanded  to  paint  themselves, 
and  go  along  with  him,  according  to  ancient  custom.  They 
immediately  fly  about  to  grapple  up  a  kind  of  chalkey  clay 
to  paint  themselves  white.  They  soon  appear,  all  over,  as 
white  as  the  clay  can  make  them.  Then  they  follow  on,  in 
an  orderly  slow  procession,  to  purify  themselves  in  running 
water.  The  beloved  man,  or  high-priest,  heads  the  holy 
train — -his  waiter  next — the  beloved  men  according  to  tlieir 
seniority — and  the  warriors  according  to  their  reputed  merit. 
The  women  follow  in  the  same  orderly  manner,  with  all  the 
children  who  can  walk,  ranged  according  to  their  height. — 
The  very  little  ones,  are  carried  in  the  mothers  arms.  In  this 
manner  they  move  along,  singing  halleluyah  to  F.  0,  He-wah, 
till  they  get  to  the  water,  when  the  Iiigh-priest  jumps  into  it, 
and  all  the  train  follow  him."^  Having  thus  purified  them- 
selves, and  washed  away  their  sins,  as  they  suppose  and  verily 
believe,  they  consider  themselves  as  out  of  the  reach  of  tem- 
poral evil,  for  their  past  vicious  conduct.     They  now  return 

*  The  Indian  Moraen  never  perform  their  religious  ahlutionsin  presence  of  the 
men,  hut  purify  themselves,  not  at  appointed  times,  with  the  men,  but  at  their  dis- 
cretion. Th-ey  are  also  entirely  excluded  from  their  temples  by  ancient  custom, 
except  the  six  old  beloved  women,  who  are  permitted  to  sing,  dance,  and  rejoice 
at  their  annual  expiation  for  sin  ;  but  they  must  retire  before  the  other  solemni 
ties  begin. 

So  the  Hebrew  women  performed  their  ablutions,  separated  from  the  men, 
by  themselves.  They  also  worshipped  apart  from  the  men,  lest  they  should  at* 
tract  each  others  attention  in  divine  worsl)ip. 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  ^25 

to  the  centre  of  the  holy  ground,  where  having  made  a  few 
circles,  dancing  round  the  altar,  tliey  finish  their  annual  great 
festival,  and  depart  in  joy  and  peace. 

Mr.  Bartram,  who  visited  the  southern  Indians  in  1778, 
gives  an  account  of  the  same  feast,  but  in  another  nation.  He 
says  that  the  Feast  of  First  Fruits  is  their  principal  festival. 
This  seems  to  end  the  old  and  beigin  the  new  ecclesiastical 
year.  It  commences  when  their  new  crops  are  amved  to  ma- 
turity    This  is  their  most  solemn  celebration.* 

When  a  town  celebrates  the  busk,  or  first  fall  fruits,  having 
previously  provided  themselves  with  new  clothes,  new  pots, 
pans,  and  other  household  utensils  and  furniture,  they  collect 
all  their  worn  out  clothes  and  other  despicable  things,  sweep 
and  clean  their  houses,  squares,  and  the  whole  town,  of  their 
filth,  which,  with  all  the  remaining  grain  and  other  old  provi- 
sions, they  cast  together  in  one  common  heap,  and  consume  it 
with  fire.  After  taking  medicine^  and  fasting  for  tliree  days, 
all  the  fire  in  the  town  is  extinguished.  During  this  fast,  they 
abstain  from  the  gratification  of  every  appetite  and  passion 
whatever.  A  genei'al  amnesty  is  proclaimed.  All  malefac- 
tors may  return  to  their  town,  and  they  are  absolved  from 
their  crimes,  which  are  now  forgotten,  and  they  are  restored 
to  favour.  On  the  fourth  morning,  the  high -priest,  or  chief 
beloved  man,  by  rubbing  dry  wood  together,  produces  new 
fire  in  the  public  square,  from  whence  every  habitation  in  the 
town  is  supplied  with  the  new  and  pure  flame.  Then  the  wo- 
men go  forth  to  the  harvest  fields  and  bring  from  thence  new 

■*  This  is  plainly  the  great  feast  on  the  day  of  expiation,  and  that  of  harvest, 
V  hen  they  offer  up  their  fall  fruits,  and  not  tlie  spring  first  fruit  feast,  and  shouKl 
have  been  called  tlie  new  civil  year. 


226  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

corn  and  fruits,  wliich  bcinj^  prepared  in  the  best  manner,  in 
various  dishes,  and  drink  withal,  is  brouglit  with  solemnity  to 
the  square,  wlierc  the  people  are  assembled,  appareled  in  their 
new  clothes  and  decorations.  The  men  having  regaled  them- 
selves, the  remainder  is  carried  off  and  distributed  among  the 
families  of  the  town.  The  women  and  children  solace  them- 
selves in  their  separate  families,  and  in  the  evening  repair  to 
the  public  square,  where  they  dance,  sing  and  rejoice,  during 
tlie  whole  night,  observing  a  proper  and  exemplary  decorum. 
This  continues  three  days,  and  the  four  following  days  they 
receive  visits  and  rejoice  with  their  friends  from  neighbouring 
towns,  who  have  also  purified  and  prepai-ed  themselves. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Brainerd,  in  liis  journal  says,  he  visited  the 
Indians  on  the  20th  of  September,  1745,  at  the  Juniata,  near 
the  Susquehannah,  in  Pennsylvania.  This  is  the  first  month 
of  their  civil  year,  and  the  usual  time  of  the  feast  of  fruits,  or 
harvest.  It  ought  to  be  noted,  that  Mr.  Brainerd,  though  an 
excellent  man,  was  at  this  time  wholly  unacquainted  with  the 
Indian  language,  and  indeed  with  their  customs  and  manners. 
These  Indians  in  particular,  w^re  a  set  of  the  lowest  grade ; 
the  most  worthless,  of  the  nations  wholly  ruined  by  the  exam- 
ple and  temptations  of  the  white  people.  Mr.  Brainerd's 
interpreter  was  a  common  Indian,  greatly  attached  to  the 
habits  of  his  countrymen,  and  much  in  their  interest.  He  says 
he  found  the  Indians  almost  universally  busy  in  making  prep- 
arations for  a  great  sacrifice  and  dance.  In  the  evening  they 
met  together,  to  the  number  of  about  one  hundred,  and  danced 
round  a  large  fire,  having  prepared  ten  fat  deer  for  the  sacri- 
fice. They  burned  the  fat  of  the  inwards  in  the  fire,  while 
they  were  dancing,  and  sometimes  raised  the  flame  to  a  pro- 


A    STAR    IN    THK    WEST.  227 

digious  hciglit,  at  the  same  time  yclliiij^  and  slioutiiig  in  snch 
u  manner  that  they  might  easily  be  heard  two  miles  off.  Tiiey 
continued  their  sacred  dance  nearly  all  night;  after  wl»ich, 
they  eat  the  flesh  of  the  sacrifice,  and  then  retired  each  to  his 
lodging.  As  Mr.  Brainerd  ackno\N  ledges,  that  he  dared  not 
go  among  them,  he  could  give  a  very  imperfect  account  of 
their  pi-oceedings,  as  he  must  have  received  it  fiom  the  inter- 
preter. 

The  Feast  of  lite  Daihj  Sacrifice. 

The  next  remarkable  feasts  they  religiously  observe,  are 
those  of  the  Daily  Sacrifice  and  some  occasional  ones. 

The  Hebrews,  it  is  well  known,  offered  daily  sacrifices  of 
a  lamb  every  morning  and  evening,  and  except  the  skin  and 
entrails,  it  was  burnt  to  ashes. 

The  Indians  have  a  very  humble  imitation  of  this  rite. — 
The  women  always  throw  a  small  piece  of  the  fattest  of  the 
meat  into  the  fire,  before  they  begin  to 'eat.  At  times  they 
view  it  with  pleasing  attention,  and  pretend  to  draw  omens 
from  it.  This  they  will  do,  though  they  are  quite  alone,  and 
not  seen  by  any  one. 

Those  who  have  been  adopted  by  them,  and  fully  considered  as 
belonging  to  their  nation,  say,  that  the  Indian  men  observe  the 
Daily  Sacrifice  both  at  home  and  in  the  woods,  with  new^  killed 
venison.  They  also  draw  their  new  killed  venison,  before 
they  dress  it,  several  times  through  tlie  smoke  and  flame  of 
fire,  both  by  way  of  an  offering  as  a  sacrifice,  and  to  consume 
the  blood,  which,  with  them,  as  with  the  Hebrews,  would  be  a 


228  A    &TAK    IX   THE   WEST. 

most  lioiTid  abomination  to  cat.  They  also  sacrifice^  while  in 
the  woods,  the  melt,  or  a  large  fat  piece  of  the  first  buck  they 
kill. 

They  imagine  that  their  temples  have  such  a  typical  holi- 
ness, beyond  any  other  place,  that  if  they  offered  up  the  an- 
nual sacrifice  elsewhere,  it  would  not  atone  for  the  people,  but 
rather  bring  down  the  anger  of  Ish-to-hoolo  Aba,  and  utterly 
spoil  the  power  of  theii'  holy  place  and  holy  things.  They 
who  sacrifice  in  the  woods,  do  it  only  on  particular  occasions, 
allowed  by  their  laws  and  customs. 

Their  Feast  of  Love,  ^c. 

Every  spring  season,  one  town  or  more,  of  the  Missisippi 
Floridians,  keep  a  solemn  Feast  of  Love,  to  renew  their  old 
friendships.  They  call  this  annual  feast  Hottuck  Jimpa,  HeeU 
tla  Tanaa,  that  is,  <^  the  people  eat,  dance  and  walk,  as  twined 
together."  The  short  name  of  the  feast  is,  '^  Hottuk  ImpaTiaaf^* 
that  is,  ^*  eating  by  a'  strong  religious  and  social  principle.'^ 
Impanaa  signifies,  as  I  am  informed,  several  threads  or  strands 
twisted  together.  They  assemble  three  nights  before  the  feast. 
On  the  fourth  night  they  eat  together.  During  the  interme- 
diate space,  the  young  men  and  women  dance  in  circles,  from 
the  evening  till  the  morning.  "Wlien  they  meet  at  night,  it  is 
professed  to  be  to  gladden  and  unite  their  hearts  before  Y.  0. 
He.  wah.  The.y  sing  Y.  0.  He.  wah.  shoo — Y.  0.  He.  wah. 
shoo— Y.  O.  He.  wah.  shee— Y.  O4  He.  wah.  shee— Y.  O.He. 
wah.  shai — Y.  0.  He.  wah.  shai — with  great  energy.  The 
first  word  is  nearly  in  the  Hebrew  characters,  the  name  of 
Joshua  or  Saviour. 


A   STAK   11^   THE    WEST.  229 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Or  Miscellanemis  Facts  omitted, 

THE  writer  of  these  sheets  was  himself  present  at  a  religious 
dance  of  six  or  seven  nations,  accidentally  meeting  together, 
and  having  been  hospitably  entertained  by  the  governor  and 
inhabitants,  they  gave  this  dance  to  the  governor  and  such  as 
he  should  invite,  by  way  of  shewing  their  gratitude. 

The  writer  was  invited,  with  a  very  large  company  of  gen- 
tlemen and  ladies.  The  following  is  an  exact  account  of  what 
passed  ;  to  every  circumstance  of  which  he  was  critically  at- 
tentive. 

After  the  company  had  assembled  in  a  very  large  room,  the 
oldest  sachem  of  the  Senecas,  and  a  beloved  man,  entered,  and 
took  their  place  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  having  something 
in  imitation  of  a  small  drum,  on  which  the  old  sachem  beat 
time  at  the  dance.  Soon  after,  between  twenty  and  thirty  In- 
dians came  in,  wrapped  in  their  blankets.  These  made  a 
very  solemn  and  slow  procession  round  the  room,  keeping  the 
most  profound  silence,  the  sachem  sounding  his  drum  to  direct 
their  motion.  The  second  round,  they  began  to  sing  on  a 
bass  key  y,  y,  y,  till  they  completed  the  circle,  dancing  the 
whole  time,  to  the  sound  of  the  drum,  in  a  very  solemn  and 
serious  manner.  Tlie  third  round,  their  ardor  increased  to 
such  a  degree,  while  they  danced  with  a  quicker  step,  and 
sang  he-Iw-hef  so  as  to  make  them  very  warm,  and  they  began 


230  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

to  perspire  freely,  and  to  loosen  their  blankets.  The  fourth 
round  they  sang  ho,  ho,  ho,  with  great  earnestness,  and  by 
dancing  with  greater  violence,  their  perspiration  increased, 
and  tlicy  cast  off  tlieir  blankets  entirely,  which  caused  some 
confusion.  The  next  and  last  round  put  them  in  a  mere 
frenzy,  twisting  their  bodies,  and  wreathing  like  so  many 
snakes,  and  making  as  many  antic  gestures  as  a  parcel  of 
monkies,  singing  the  whole  time,  in  the  most  energetic  man- 
ner, wah'Wah-wah,  They  kept  time  in  tlieir  dancing,  as 
well  as  any  person  could  do,  who  had  been  taught  by  a  master. 
Each  round  took  them  between  ten  -and  fifteen  minutes. 
They  then  witlidrew  in  indian  file,  with  great  silence,  except 
the  two  with  the  drum.  Tlie  company  had  supposed  that  they 
were  invited  to  a  war-dance.  The  writer,  desirous  of  ascer- 
taining the  nature  of  the  dance,  went  to  the  interpreter,  and 
asked  him  if  what  they  had  seen  was  intended  as  a  war- 
dance  ;  he  seemed  much  displeased,  and  in  a  pettish  manner, 
answered,  a  war-dance,  no!  Indians  never  entertain  civil 
people  with  a  war-dance.  It  was  a  religious  dance.  In  a 
sliort  time,  a  considerable  bustle  being  heard  at  the  door,  the 
company  came  to  order,  when  the  Indians  re-entered  in  indian 
file,  and  danced  one  round — then  a  second,  singing,  in  a  more 
lively  manner,  hal-haUhal  till  they  finished  the  round.  They 
then  gave  us  a  third  round,  striking  up  the  word,  le-le-le.  On 
the  next  round,  it  was  tlie  word  lu-hi-lu,  dancing  naked,  with 
all  their  might,  having  again  thrown  off  their  blankets.  Dur- 
ing the  fifth  immd,  was  sung  the  syllable  yah-yah-yah.  Then 
all  joining,  as  it  were,  in  a  general,  but  very  lively  and  joy- 
ous chorus,  they  sang  hal-le-lu-yah,  dwelling  on  each  syllable 
with  a  very  long  breath,  in  the  most  pleasing  manner. 


I 


A    STAR    IN   THE    WEST»  231 

,  There  could  be  no  deception  in  all  tliis — the  writer  was 
near  them— paid  great  attention — and  every  tWng  was  obvi- 
ous to  the  senses,  and  discovered  great  fervor  and  zeal  in  the 
performers.  Their  pronunciation  was  very  guttural  and  son- 
orous, but  distinct  and  clear. 

The  compiler  of  these  facts,  rode  in  the  stage  to  Elizabeth- 
Town,  sometime  about  the  year  1789,  with  an  Indian  sachem 
from  the  Creek  or  Chikkesah  nation,  and  his  retinue,  who 
was  going,  under  the  care  of  col.  Butler,  to  New- York,  to 
establish  or  renew"  a  peace  with  the  United  States.  He  was 
a  strong,  tall,  well  proportioned  man,  of  great  gravity  in  his 
appearance,  and  all  his  behaviour.  He  was  well  dressed, 
and  a  much  better  demeanor  in  his  whole  conduct,  than  any 
Indian  the  writer  had  ever  seen.  Neither  he  nor  one  of  his 
attendants  could  speak  Englisli.  From  the  extraordinary 
respect  paid  him  by  his  attemlants,  he  was  certainly  a  sachem 
of  high  reputation.  At  dinner,  though  hard  pressed  by  some 
of  the  gentlemen  at  table,  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  drink 
more  than  three  glasses  of  wine,  and  he  would  not  taste  bran- 
dy. When  in  Philadelphia,  he  drank  tea  in  company  with  a 
number  of  ladies,  among  whom  was  a  l^Iiss  P — e,  who  painted 
minature  pictures  very  well.  She  being  prepared  for  it,  took 
his  face  with  a  strong  likeness,  witliout  his  perceiving  it. 
When  it  was  finished,  she  gave  it  to  the  interpreter,  who  put 
it  into  the  hands  of  the  chief.  He  appeared  in  perfect  aston- 
ishment ;  he  looked  wildly  about  him,  and  spoke  to  the  inter- 
preter in  Indian,  in  a  very  empliatical  manner,  asking  liin> 
(as  he  said)  where  that  had  come  from,  and  what  was  tlic 
meaning  of  it.  The  interpreter  introduced  the  young  lady 
to  him,  and  told  him  that  she  had  done  it  while  sitting  in  the 


5S^  A   STAJR  IN   THE   WEST. 

room.  He  expressed  himself  very  much  gratified  with  it, 
offered  to  return  it  to  her,  hut  she  desired  the  interpreter  to 
inform  him  that  she  wished  to  present  it  to  him.  He  made 
great  acknowledgments  for  the  favour,  saying,  that  he  was  a 
poor  Indian,  and  had  nothing  to  give  her  in  return ;  but  that 
he  often  spoke  to  the  great  spirit,  and  the  next  time  he  did,  he 
would  remember  her. 

When  the  stage  drove  up  to  the  tavern  at  Frankfort,  tlie 
stage-driver  got  out  to  get  a  dram,  the  horses  took  fright  and 
ranaway  with  the  stage  and  overset  it,  by  which  the  chief, 
received  a  large  and  very  severe  cut  on  his  forehead ;  and 
Gol.  Butler,  was  also  wounded,  but  all  the  rest  got  off  unhurt. 
Tlie  chief  jealous  that  it  was  done  to  injure  him,  seemed  terri- 
fied and  alarmed.  But  when  he  observed  that  col.  Butler 
was  also  hurt,  and  that  it  was  an  accident,  he  seemed  imme- 
diately to  become  calm  and  easy — A  surgeon  soon  came  in, 
and  sewed  up  the  wound,  in  a  manner  that  must  have  given 
the  chief  great  pain ;  but  he  would  not  acknowledge  it,  neith- 
er did  he  discover  the  least  symptom  of  it.  As  soon  as  he  was 
dressed,  he  arose  up  and  addressed  col.  Butler,  which  the  in- 
terpreter explained,  saying,  "never  mind  this  brother — it 
will  soon  be  all  well.  This  is  the  work  of  the  evil  spirit — ^lie 
knows  we  are  going  to  effect  a  work  of  peace — he  hates  peace 
and  loves  war — never  mind  it — let  us  go  on  and  accomplish 
our  business — we  will  disappoint  him." 

The  writer  of  tliese  sheets,  many  years  ago,  was  one  of  the 
corresponding  members  of  a  society  in  Scotland,  for  promoting 
the  gospel  among  the  Indians.  To  further  this  great  work, 
they  educated  two  young  men  of  very  serious  and  religious 
dispositions,  and  who  were  desirous  of  undertaking  the  mis- 


A    STAR  IN   THE    WEST.  233 

3ion,  for  this  special  purpose — when  they  were  ordained  and 
ready  to  depart,  we  wrote  a  letter  in  the  Indian  style,  to  the 
Delaware  nation,  then  residing  on  the  nortli-west  of  the  Ohio, 
informing  that  we  had,  hy  tlie  goodness  of  the  great  spirit, 
been  favoured  with  a  knowledge  of  Jiis  will,  as  to  the  worship 
he  required  of  his  creatures,  and  the  means  he  would  bless  to 
promote  the  happiness  of  man,  both  in  this  life  and  that  which 
was  to  come.  That  thus  enjoying  so  much  happiness  our- 
selves, we  could  not  but  think  of  our  red  brethren  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  wished  to  communicate  the  glad  tidings  to  them, 
that  they  might  be  partakers  with  us.  We  had  therefore  sent 
them  two  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  would  teach  them  these 
great  things,  and  earnestly  recommended  them  to  their  care- 
ful attention.  With  proper  passports  the  missionaries  set  off 
and  arrived  in  safety  at  one  of  their  principal  towns. 

The  chiefs  of  the  nation  were  called  together,  who  answer- 
ed them  that  they  would  take  it  into  consideration,  and  in  the 
mean  time  they  might  instruct  their  women,  but  they  should 
not  speak  to  the  men.  They  spent  fourteen  days  in  council, 
and  then  dismissed  them  very  courteously,  with  an  answer  to 
us.  This  answer  made  great  acknowledgments  for  the  favour 
we  had  done  them.  They  rejoiced  exceedingly  at  our  happi- 
ness in  thus  being  favoured  by  the  great  spirit,  and  felt  very 
grateful  that  we  had  condescended  to  remember  our  breth- 
ren in  the  wilderness.  But  they  could  not  help  recollecting 
that  we  had  a  people  among  us,  who,  because  they  differed 
from  us  in  colour,  we  had  made  slaves  of,  and  made  them  suf- 
fer great  hardships  and  lead  miserable  lives.  Now,  they  could 
not  see  any  reason,  if  a  people  being  black,  entitled  us  thus  to 

deal  with  thera^  why  a  red  colour  would  not  equally  justify  the 
2  H 


23*  A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

same  treatment.  They  therefore  had  determined  to  wait,  to 
see  whetlier  all  the  hlack  people  amongst  us  were  made  thus 
happy  and  joyful,  before  they  could  put  confidence  in  our 
promises ;  for  they  thought  a  people  who  had  suffered  so  much 
and  so  long  by  our  means,  should  be  entitled  to  our  first  at- 
tention ;  that  therefore  they  had  sent  back  the  two  missiona- 
ries, with  many  thanks,  promising  that  when  they  saw  the 
black  people  among  us  restored  to  freedom  and  happiness, 
they  would  gladly  receive  our  missionaries.  This  is  what  in 
any  other  case,  would  be  caUed  close  reasoning,  and  is  too 
mortifying  a  fact  to  make  further  observations  upon. 

The  Indians  to  the  northward,  are  said,  by  Mr.  Colden,  a 
laborious,  sensible  writer,  in  the  times  of  their  rejoicings,  to 
repeat  yo-ha-han,  which,  if  true,  evinces  that  their  corrup- 
tion advances  in  proportion  as  they  ai'e  distant  from  South- 
America.  But  Mr.  Colden,  was  an  utter  stranger  to  their 
language  and  manners,  and  might  have  mistaken  their  pro- 
nunciation-—or  if  he  wTote  from  information  of  othei's,  he  has 
not  been  accurate,  ^c. 

It  was  a  material,  or  rather  an  essential  mistake  to  write 
yO'ha-han,  as  it  is  confounding  their  two  religious  words  to- 
gether. Mr.  Adair  was  assured  by  Sir  William  Johnson, 
who  had  the  management  of  Indian  affairs  for  many  yeai's 
under  the  British  government,  as  well  as  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Ogilvie,  a  missionary  with  the  Moliawks,  that  the  northern 
Indians,  always  pronounced  the  words  of  their  songs,  y-ho- 
Ae,  a  or  ah,  and  so  Mr.  Colden  altered  them  in  the  second 
edition  of  his  history.  He  also  says,  when  the  northern  In- 
dians, at  a  treaty  or  conference  would  give  their  assent,  they 
answered  y.  o.  hah — The  speaker  called  out,  y.  o.  hah,  the 


A    STAR   IN   THE    -WEST.  2S6 

rest  answered  in  a  sound,  wliicli  could  not  be  expressed  in 
English  letters,  but  seemed  to  consist  of  two  words,  remark- 
ably distinguished  in  their  cadence.  The  sachem  of  each  na- 
tion, at  the  close  of  their  chief's  speech,  called  out  severally, 
y,  0,  hah. 

Charlevoix,  in  his  history  of  Canada,  says>  that  Father 
Grillon  often  told  him,  that  after  having  laboured  some  time 
in  the  missions  in  Canada,  lie  returned  to  France  and  went  to 
China.  One  day  as  he  was  travelling  through  Tartary,  he 
met  a  Huron  woman,  wliom  he  had  formerly  known  in  Can- 
ada. She  told  him,  that  having  been  taken  in  war,  she  had 
been  conducted  from  nation  to  nation,  till  she  arrived  at  the 
place  where  she  then  was. 

There  was  another  missionary,  passing  by  the  way  of  Nantz> 
on  his  return  from  China,  wlio  related  the  like  story  of  a  wo- 
man he  had  seen  from  Florida,  in  America.  She  informed 
him,  that  she  had  been  taken  by  certain  Indians,  and  given  to 
those  of  a  distant  country ;  and  by  these  again  to  another  na- 
tion, till  she  had  been  thus  successively  passed  from  country 
to  country  5  had  travelled  regions  exceedingly  cold,  and  at  last 
found  herself  in  Tartary,  and  had  there  married  a  Tartar, 
who  had  passed  with  the  conquerors  into  China,  and  there 
settled. 

The  Cherokees  had  an  honourable  title  among  them,  called 
"the  deer-killer  of  the  great  spirit,  for  his  people.^'  Every 
town  had  one  solemnly  appointed,  who  killed  deer  for  the  holy 
feasts.  Thus  Nimrod  is  said  to  have  been  "  a  mighty  hunter 
before  the  Lord  " — Gen.  x.  9. 

The  Indian  nations,  in  the  coldest  weather,  and  wiien  the 
ground  is  covered  with  snow,  practice  their  religious  ablution!^* 


2^6  A   3TAK   IN   THE   WEST. 

Men  and  children  turn  out  of  their  warm  houses,  singing  their 
usual  sacred  notes,  at  the  dawn  of  day,  V,  0.  Ilc-wah,  and 
thus  they  skip  along,  singing  till  they  get  to  the  river,  when 
they  instantaneously  plunge  into  it. 

The  Hehrews  also  had  various  washings  and  anointings. 
They  generally,  after  bathing,  anointed  themselves  with  oil. 
Tlieir  kings,  prophets  and  priests,  were  anointed  with  oil,  and 
the  Saviour  himself  is  described  as  "  the  Jlnolnted,^^  The  In- 
dian priests  and  prophets,  or  beloved  men,  are  always  initiated 
by  unction.  The  Chickesaws  some  time  ago  set  apart  some 
of  their  old  men.  They  first  obliged  them  to  sweat  themselves 
for  the  space  of  three  days  and  nights,  in  a  small  hut  made 
for  the  purpose,  at  a  distance  from  the  town,  for  fear  of  pollu- 
tion, and  from  a  strong  desire  they  all  have  of  secreting  their 
religions  mysteries.  They  eat  nothing  but  green  tobacco 
leaves,  and  drink  only  of  button-snake  wood  tea,  to  cleanse 
their  bodies,  and  prepare  them  to  serve  in  tlie  beloved,  holy 
office.  After  wliich,  their  priestly  garments  are  put  on,  with 
the  ornaments  before  described,  and  then  bear's  oil  is  poured 
upon  their  heads.  Like  tlie  Jews,  both  men  and  women  fre- 
quently anoint  themselves  with  bear's  oil. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention,  that  Indians  nerer  prostrate 
themselves,  nor  bow  their  bodies  to  eacli  other,  by  w^ay  of  sa- 
lute or  homage,  except  when  they  are  making  or  renewing 
peace  with  strangers,  who  come  in  the  name  of  Yah ;  then 
they  bow  their  bodies  in  that  religious  solemnity.  Also  in 
their  religious  dances,  for  tlien  they  sing  their  hymns  address- 
ed to  F.  0.  He-wdlu 

The  Indians  would  not  eat  either  the  Mexican  hog,  or  of 
the  sea-cow,  or  the  turtle,  as  Gumilla  and  Edwards  inform  us ; 


A    STAR    IN   THE    WEST.  257 

but  they  lield  them  in  tlio  greatest  abhorrence.  Neither  would 
they  eat  the  eel ;  nor  of  many  animals  and  birds  they  deemed 
impure. 

It  was  foretold  by  Moses,  that  the  Israelites  should  "  walk 
in  the  stubbornness  of  their  own  htarts,  to  add  drunkenness  to 
thirst,^'  God,  by  his  prophet,  threatens  them  in  the  severest 
manner  for  this  abominable  crime  : 

^'  Wo  to  the  proud  crown  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim, 

And  to  the  fading  flower  of  their  glorious  beauty  | 

To  those  that  are  at  the  head  of  the  rich  valley,  that  are 
stupified  with  wine ! 

Behold  the  mighty  One !  the  exceedingly  strong  One  ♦ 

Like  a  storm  of  hail,  like  a  destructive  tempest ; 

Like  a  rapid  flood  of  mighty  waters  pouring  down  ; 

He  shall  dash  them  to  the  ground  with  his  hand. 

They  shall  be  ti-odden  under  foot. 

The  proud  crown  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim. 

In  that  day  shall  Jehovah,  God  of  Hosts,  become  a 

beauteous  crown. 

And  a  glorious  diadem  to  the  remnant  of  his  people  : 

But  even  these  have  erred  through  wine,  and  through 

strong  drink  they  have  reeled  ; 

The  priest  and  the  prophet  have  erred  through  strong  drink  ; 

They  are  overwhelmed  with  wine,  they  have  reeled  through 
strong  drink  ; 

They  have  erred  in  vision,  they  have  stumbled  in  judg- 
ment. 

For  all  their  tables  are  fujl  of  vomit ; 

Of  filthiness,  so  that  no  place  is  free." 

f  Isaiah  xxviiL  1-8. — LowtKs  traiislatloiu 


238  A   STAR   IN   THE   AVEST. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  terrible  predictions  denounced  against 
them,  and  has  been  most  awfully  verified,  should  it  turn  out 
that  the  Indians  in  trutli  are  of  the  lost  ten  tribes  of  Israel. 
Among  all  their  vices,  tliis  seems  the  most  predominant,  and 
destroys  every  power  of  soul  and  body.  It  is  not  of  this  na- 
tion or  that — of  one  tribe  or  another — or  of  one  rank  or  the 
other;  but  it  is  universal,  among  men,  women  and  children. 
In  sliort,  it  is  one,  among  a  great  number,  of  the  unnatural 
returns  made  them  by  the  Europeans  of  every  nation,  for  the 
Indian's  kindness  at  first,  and  their  giving  up  their  lands  after- 
wards, the  bringing  in  ardent  spirits  among  them  for  lucre  of 
gain,  and  by  this  means  have  reduced  their  numbers,  and 
driven  them  into  the  wilderness.  They  have  themselves 
long  seen  their  misery  in  this  respect,  and  have  long  been 
struggling  to  get  rid  of  it;  but  all  in  vain,  till  of  late  years, 
many  men  of  virtue  and  of  real  religion,  have  united  wdth 
tliem,  to  aid  them,  without  which  it  seems  impossible  that 
they  can  withstand  this  all-conquering  enemy. 

They  will  make  laws  against  it — they  will  determine  to 
expel  all  spiritous  liquors  from  their  towns,  and  they  w^ill 
with  philosophical  firmness,  destroy  large  quantities  of  it, 
brought  in  by  the  traders  by  stealth.  But  if  they  once  taste 
it,  all  the  reasoning  of  the  most  beloved  man  will  not  prevent 
them  drinking  as  long  as  a  drop  lasts,  and  generally  tliey 
transform  themselves  into  the  likeness  of  mad  foaming  bears. 

Mr.  Colden  says, "  there  is  one  vice  which  the  Indians  have 
fallen  into  since  their  acquaintance  with  the  christians,  and  of 
which  they  could  not  have  been  guilty  before  that  time,  that 
is  drunkenness.  It  is  strange  how  all  the  Indian  nations,  and 
almost  every  person  among  them,  male  and  female,  are  infatu- 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  239 

ated  with  the  love  of  strong  drink.  They  know  no  bounds  to 
their  desires,  while  they  can  swallow  it  down,  and  then,  in- 
deed, the  greatest  men  amongst  them  scarcely  desei've  the 
name  of  a  brute." 

They  complained  heavily  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brainerd,  that 
before  the  coming  of  the  English  they  knew  of  no  such  thing 
as  strong  drink.  That  the  English  had,  by  these  means, 
made  them  quari'cl  with,  and  kill  one  another,  and  in  a  word, 
brought  them  to  the  practice  of  all  those  vices,  that  then  pre- 
vailed among  tliem.  In  an  address,  or  rather  an  answer, 
made  by  the  Delaware  Indians  in  1768,  they  say,  "  brothers! 
you  have  spoken  to  us  against  getting  drunk.  What  you 
have  said  is  very  agreeable  to  our  minds.  We  see  it  is  a  thing 
that  is  very  bad,  and  it  is  a  great  grief  to  us  that  rum  or  any 
kind  of  stix)ng  liquor  should  be  brought  among  us,  as  we  wish 
the  chain  of  friendship,  which  now  unites  us  and  our  brethren 
the  Englisli  together,  may  remain  strong.  Brothers !  the  fault 
is  not  all  in  us.  It  begins  with  our  brothers,  the  white  people. 
For  if  they  will  bring  us  rum,  some  of  our  people  will  buy 
it;  it  is  for  that  purpose  it  is  brought.  But  if  none  was 
brought,  then  we  could  not  buy  it.  Brothers!  we  beseech 
you,  be  faithful  and  desire  our  brothers,  the  white  people,  to 
bring  no  more  of  it  to  us.  Shew  this  belt  to  them  for  this 
purpose.  Shew  it  to  the  great  man  of  the  fort  (meaning  the 
commandant  at  Fort  Pitt)  and  to  our  brothers  on  the  way  as 
you  return,  and  to  the  great  men  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  other 
places,  from  which  rum  may  be  brought,  and  intreat  them  not. 
to  bring  any  more." 

There  is  a  very  early  record  in  the  histoiy  of  New-Jersey, 
to  the  credit  of  both  Indians  and  white  inhabitants  of  that 


240  A    STAR   IN   TUB    WEST. 

day.  At  a  conference  held  with  them,  when  eight  kingti  xiv 
sachems  were  present,  tlie  Indian  speaker  said,  "  strong 
liquors  were  sold  to  us  by  the  Swedes  and  by  the  Dutch. 
These  people  had  no  eyes.  They  did  not  see  that  it  was 
hurtful  to  us.  Nevertheless,  if  people  will  sell  it  to  us,  we 
are  so  in  love  with  it  we  cannot  forbear.  But  now,  there  is 
a  people  come  to  live  among  us  that  have  eyes.  They  see  it 
to  be  for  our  hurt.  They  arc  willing  to  deny  themselves  the 
profit  for  our  good.  This  people  have  eyes.  We  are  glad 
such  people  have  come.  Wc  must  put  it  down  by  mutual  con- 
sent. We  give  these  four  belts  of  wampum  to  be  witnesses 
of  this  agreement  we  make  with  you,  and  would  have  you  to 
tell  it  to  your  children." 

Several  nominal  prophets  have  lately  risen  among  them,  and 
have  become  very  popular,  by  taking  advantage  of  their  su- 
perstition, and  declaring  themselves  messengers  from  heaven. 
Whatever  they  may  be  in  reality,  they  have  done  some  good. 
The  Onondagoes,  greatly  addicted  to  drunkenness,  have,  by 
the  influence  of  the  brother  of  Corn-Planter,  a  Seneca  chief, 
been  prevailed  on  to  give  up  the  use  of  spiiitous  liquors,  and 
to  become  comparatively  moral.  Another  of  these  propliets 
among  the  Shawanese  and  north-western  Indians,  has  been 
equally  successful. 

All  the  promises  of  a  God  of  truth,  to  his  faithful  servants, 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  must  be  strictly  fulfilled,  as  well 
as  the  threatnings  of  his  abused- justice.  God  did  make  a 
solemn  and  special  promise  to  Abraham,  which  was  after- 
wards repeated  to  Isaac  and  Jacob,  in  very  strong  and  ex- 
pressive terms.  And  God  said,  "  by  myself  have  I  sworn, 
saith  the  Lord,  for  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  241 

hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  that  in  blessing,  I  will 
bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying,  I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the 
stars  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand  upon  the  sea  shore,  and  thy 
seed  shall  possess  tlie  gates  of  his  enemies" — Gen.  xxii.  16, 
17.  Yet  this  was  on  condition  of  their  observing  the  com- 
mandments that  he  had  given  them,  for  in  case  of  disobedience, 
the  threatnings  were  as  explicit  as  the  blessings. 

*»  Jehovah  hath  sent  a  word  against  Jacob,  and  it  hat)i 
lighted  upon  Israel — because  tlie  people  all  of  them,  carry 
themselves  haughtily ;  Ephraim  and  the  inhabitants  of  Sa- 
maria, and  Jehovah,  God  of  Hosts,  they  have  not  sought.*' 
Yet  his  mercy  will  not  finally  forsake  them.  For  "  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  that  day,  no  more  shall  the  remnant  of  Israel, 
and  the  escaped  of  the  house  of  Jacob,  lean  upon  him  who 
smote  them,  but  shall  lean  upon  Jehovah,  the  holy  one  of 
Israel,  in  truth.  A  remnant  shall  return,  even  a  remnant 
of  Jacob  unto  the  mighty  God,  for  though  thy  people  Israel 
be  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  yet  a  remnant  of  them  only  shall 
return:  the  consummation  decided  shall  overflow  with  strict 
justice" — Lowth's  Isaiah,  x.  23.  The  learned  Dr.  Bagot, 
Dean  of  Christ's  Church,  Oxford,  translates  the  last  clause  of 
the  verse  thus,  **  the  accomplislnnent  determined,  overflows 
with  justice ;  for  it  is  accomplished,  and  that  which  is  deter- 
mined, the  Lord  of  Hosts  doth  in  the  midst  of  the  land" — vidft 
towth's  notes  on  Isaiah,  page  81. 

Hosea  also  repeats  the  affecting  fate  of  Israel.  *<  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  him,  I  will  cause  to  cease,  the  kingdom  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  for  I  will  no  more  have  mercy  on  the  house 
of  Israel;  but  I  will  utterly  take  them  away.  Yet  the  num- 
ber of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  be  as  the  sand  of  the  sea, 
2  I 


i2^2  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

which  cannot  be  measured  or  numbered;  and  it  shaD  come  to 
pass,  that  in  the  place  where  it  was  said  unto  them,  ye  are  not 
my  people,  there  it  sliall  be  said  unto  them,  ye  are  the  sons  of  the 
living  God,  Then  shall  the  children  of  Judah,  and  the  chil 
dren  of  Israel  be  gathered  together,  and  shall  appoint  them- 
selves one  head,  and  they  shall  come  up  out  of  the  land,  for 
great  shall  be  the  day  of  Jezreel." 

And  St.  John  says,  "  and  the  sixth  angel  poured  out  his 
vial  on  the  great  nver  Euphrates,  and  tlie  waters  thereof  were 
dried  up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings  of  the  east  might  be  pre- 
pared." 

The  Indian  nations  will  answer,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
description  here  given.  That  they  have  long  been  confined 
to  wander  in  the  wilderness  of  America,  and  that  the  con- 
sumption decreed  has  been  awfully  executed  on  them,  cannot 
be  denied.  That  they  have  been  despised,  and  considered  as 
barbarians,  and  children  of  the  devil,  is  too  true. 

We  have  already  enumerated  one  hundred  and  ninety  na- 
tions within  our  scanty  means  of  knowledge,  and  though 
many  of  them  are  destroyed  and  done  away,  for  the  consump- 
tion was  decreed,  yet  if  we  look  at  the  maps  of  travellers, 
and  attend  to  the  account  given  of  the  nations  from  Green- 
land to  Mexico,  and  from  thence  to  the  nation  of  the  Dog- 
ribbed  Indians ;  thence  to  the  Southern  ocean,  and  along  its 
coast  northward  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  and  thence  to 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Greenland,  and  estimate  in  addition,  the 
nations  of  the  interior,  what  nation  or  people  in  the  world, 
can  so  literally  answer  to  the  strong  figures,  of  tlie  stars  of 
heaven,  and  the  sands  of  the  sea. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  ^3 

Again,  the  tribes  of  Judali  and  Benjamin,  attended  by  a 
few  of  the  Israelites  among  them,  scattered  throughout  Asia, 
Africa  and  Europe,  iiave  no  pretensions  to  any  king  among 
them.  But  the  Indians  have  a  king  to  every  tribe,  and  as 
we  have  seen,  the  Natchez  had  once  five  hundred  kings  in 
that  one  nation.  Now  if  part  of  the  nations  to  the  north-west, 
should  again  return  over  the  straits  of  Kamschatka,  and 
pafes  on  from  the  north-eastern  extremity  of  Asia,  by  the  way 
between  the  Euxine  and  the  Caspian  sea,  through  ancient 
Media,  whicli  formerly  extended  west  to  the  river  Halys,  on 
the  Black  or  Euxine  sea'^  and  Asia  Minor,  into  Palestine, 
then  they  must  pass  through  the  territory  of  tlie  Grand  Porte. 
Therefore  that  government  must  necessarily  be  destroyed,  to 
make  way  for  these  kings  from  the  east,  as  it  is  not  likely 
that  despotic  power  would  consent  to  their  passing  through  in 
peace,  to  deprive  her  of  the  region  of  Palestine. 

Another  remarkable  circumstance  attending  the  foregoing 
account  is,  that  before  the  Babylonish  captivity,  the  Jews  had 
but  one  temple  for  public  worship,  whither  the  males  assem- 
bled three  times  in  the  year.  The  Samaritans,  after  the  cap- 
tivity, observed  the  same  at  Samaria,  the  capital  of  their 
kingdom.  The  ten  tribes  were  carried  captives  into  the 
north-west  parts  of  Assyria,  before  the  Babylonish  captivity, 
and  therefore  had  no  idea  of  but  one  place  of  worship  for  a 
nation. 

•  The  difl'erent  empires  of  the  Lydians  and  the  Med es,  were  divided  by  the 
river  Haly's  (which  has  two  branches,)  which  rising  in  a  mountain  of  Armenia, 
passing  through  Celicia,  leavitig  in  its  progress  the  Matenians  on  the  right,  and 
Phrygia  on  the  left;  then  stretching  towards  the  north,  it  separates  the  Cappado- 
cian  Syrians  from  Paphiagonia,  which  is  on  the  left  of  the  stream.  Thus  the  river 
Ilalys  separates  all  the  lower  parts  of  Asia  from  the  srea,  which  flows  opposite  to 
Cyprus,  as  far  as  the  Euxine,  a  space  over  which  an  active  man  could  not  travel 
iu  less  than  five  days — 1  Heredotna  112, 113. 


244>  A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 

The  Indians  have  also  but  one  temple,  or  beloved  square 
for  a  nation,  whither  their  males  also  assemble  three  times  in 
the  year,  to  wit : — at  the  Feast  of  First  Fruits,  generally  tlie 
latter  end  of  March  and  April,  it  being  the  beginning  of  their 
ecclesiastical  year :  at  the  end  of  which  they  have  another,  in 
imitation  of  the  Passover.  The  feast  for  success  in  hunting, 
about  the  time  of  Pentecost,  called  the  Hunter's  Feast;  and 
their  great  feast  for  the  Expiation  of  Sin,  which  is  about 'the 
time  of  the  ripening  of  their  Indian  corn  and  other  fall  fruit. 
These  form  a  coincidence  of  circumstances  in  important  and 
peculiar  establishments,  that  could  not,  without  a  miracle,  be 
occasioned  by  chance  or  accident.  And  though  if  considered 
individually,  or  each  by  itself,  might  be  said,  not  to  be  con- 
clusive evidence,  yet  taken  altogether  and  compared  with 
many  other  peculiarities  of  the  Jewish  people,  they  carry 
strong  conviction  to  the  understanding,  that  these  wandering 
nations  have  some  how  or  other  had  intimate  connection  with 
those  once  people  of  Godo 


A   STAR  IX  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


TJie  testimony  of  those  who  had  an  opportunity  of  judging^  from 
the  appearance  and  conduct  of  the  Indians  at  the  first  discorvery 
of  America,  as  well  as  of  some  who  have  seen  them  since,  in  a 
state  of  nature, 

AND  first,  that  of  Spanish  authors.  And  here  proper  allow- 
ance must  be  made  for  the  prevailing  intentions  of  the  first 
Spanish  visitors,  in  their  coming  to  America,  which  (with 
some  few  exceptions)  were  principally  from  the  most  covetous 
desires  of  amassing  wealth,  and  obtaining  immense  riches  at 
all  risques,  and  by  every  means.  Also  it  must  be  remember- 
ed, how  few  concerned  themselves  about  the  religious  state  of 
the  natives,  if  they  could  but  get  their  property ;  neither  did 
they  give  themselves  any  trouble  to  know  their  history,  their 
origin,  customs,  or  future  expectations;  but  their  gold,  their 
silver,  their  lands,  and  their  furs,  were  the  whole  objects  of 
their  attention. 

We  thank  God,  tliere  were  some  favourable  exceptions. 
The  learned  world  are  by  this  time  pretty  well  acquainted 
with  the  degree  of  confidence  that  ought  to  be  put  in  the 
Spanish  historians  in  general,  further  than  their  accounts  are 
confirmed  and  supported  by  after  labours  of  historians  of  char- 
acter among  other  nations. 

Few  of  them  conversed  with  the  natives,  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  gain  their  confidence,  or  obtain  any  intimate  knowledge 


2i6  A  STAR   IN  THE   WEST. 

of  their  customs  and  manners,  with  any  tolerable  degree  of 
certainty.  They  did  not  treat  them  as  friends,  but  as  the 
most  inveterate  enemies,  and  despised,  hated  and  murdered 
them,  witiiout  remorse  or  compunction,  in  return  for  their 
kindness  and  respect.  And  to  excuse  their  own  ignorance, 
and  to  cast  a  mantle  over  their  most  shocking,  barbarous, 
cool  and  premeditated  murders,  they  artfully  described  them 
as  an  abominable  swarm  of  idolatrous  cannibals,  offering 
human  sacrifices  to  their  false  deities,  and  eating  the  un- 
natural victims.  Notwithstanding,  from  even  many  of  these 
partial  accounts,  we  can  trace  a  near  agreement  between  tlie 
civil  and  martial  customs,  the  religious  worship,  traditions, 
dress,  ornaments,  and  other  particulars  of  the  ancient  Peru- 
vians and  Mexicans,  and  those  of  the  Indians  of  North- 
America. 

Jlcosta  tells  us,  that  the  Mexicans  had  no  proper  name  for 
God,  yet  that  they  allowed  a  supreme  oinnipatence  and  prorvi- 
dcjice.  His  capacity  was  not  sufficient  to  discover  the  former, 
however,  the  latter  means  that  very  being,  and  agrees  with 
the  religious  opinion  of  their  North-American  brethren. 

Lope%  de  Gamara,  tells  us  that  the  Americans  were  so  de- 
vout as  to  offer  to  the  sun  and  earth,  a  small  quantity  of  every 
kind  of  meat  and  drink,  before  any  of  themselves  tasted  of  it, 
and  that  they  sacrificed  a  part  of  their  corn,  fruits,  kc.  in  like 
manner. 

Is  not  this  a  confused  Spanish  account  of  the  imitation  of 
the  Jewish  daily  sacrifice,  which  we  have  before  seen  our 
more  northern  Indians,  in  the  constant  habit  of  offering  to  the 
supreme  holy  spirit  of  fire,  whom  they  invoke  in  tlieir  sacred 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  2^7 

song  of  K  Ho.  Ile-wahf  and  loudly  ascribe  to  him,  hal-le-lu- 
wahf  for  his  continued  goodness  to  them. 

The  Spanish  writers  say,  that  when  Cortes  approached 
Mexico,  Montezuma  shut  himself  up,  and  continued  for  the 
space  of  eight  days,  in  prayer  and  fasting;  but  to  blacken 
him,  and  excuse  their  own  diabolical  conduct,  they  assert,  that 
he  offered  human  sacrifices  at  the  same  time,  to  abominable 
and  frightful  idols.  These  prayers  and  fastings,  w^rc  doubt- 
less the  same  with  those  of  the  northern  Indians,  who  on  par- 
ticular occasions,  seek  to  sanctify  themselves,  and  regain  the 
favour  of  the  deity. 

Yet  these  same  authors  tell  us,  that  they  found  there,  a 
temple  called  Teucalli,  or  the  house  of  the  great  spirit,  and  a 
person  belonging  to  it,  called  Chacalmua,  that  is,  a  minister  of 
holy  things.  They  likewise  speak  of  the  hearth  of  the  great 
spirit — the  continual  fire  of  the  great  spirit — the  holy  ark,  &c. 

Acosta  says,  that  the  Peruvians  held  a  very  extraordinary 
feast,  called  F/w,  which  they  prepared  themselves  for  by  fast- 
ing two  days,  not  accompanying  with  their  wives,  or  eating 
salt  meat  or  garlic,  or  drinking  chicca  during  that  period. 
That  they  assembled  altogether  in  one  place,  and  did  not 
allow  any  stranger  or  beast  to  approach  them.  That  they 
had  clothes  and  ornaments  which  they  wore  only  at  that  great 
festival.  That  they  went  silently  and  sedately  in  procession, 
with  their  heads  veiled  and  drums  beating ;  and  that  this  con- 
tinued one  day  and  night.  But  the  next  day  they  danced  and 
feasted,  and  for  two  days  successively,  their  prayers  and 
praises  were  heard. 

This  appears  no  other  than  our  northern  Indians'  great 
festival  to  atone  for  sin,  according  to  the  Mosaic  system. 


248  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

Lencus  tells  you,  that  he  was  present  at  the  triennial  feast 
of  the  Charibbeans,  where  a  multitude  of  men,  women  and 
children,  were  assembled.  That  they  soon  divided  themselves 
into  three  orders,  a  part  from  each  other,  the  women  and 
children  being  strictly  commanded  to  stay  within,  and  attend 
diligently  to  the  singing.  That  the  men  sang  in  one  house, 
he-he-he,  while  the  others,  in  their  separate  houses,  answered 
by  a  repetition  of  the  like  notes.  Thus  they  continued  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  dancing  in  three  rings,  with  rattles.  They 
also  tell  us,  that  the  high-priesU  or  beloved  man^  was  anointed 
with  holy  oil,  and  dressed  with  pontifical  ornaments  peculiar 
to  himself,  when  lie  officiated  in  his  sacred  function. 

Ribault  Landon  describing  the  annual  festival  of  the  Flori- 
dians,  says,  that  the  day  before  it  began,  the  women  swept 
out  a  great  circuit  of  ground,  where  it  was  observed  with 
solemnity.  That  when  the  main  body  of  the  people  entered 
the  holy  ground,  they  all  placed  themselves  in  good  order, 
decked  in  their  best  apparel,  wlien  three  beloved  men,  ov 
priests,  with  different  painting  and  gestures,  followed  them, 
playing  on  musical  instruments,  and  singing  with  solemn 
voices,  the  others  answering  them.  And  when  they  made 
three  circles,  the  men  ran  off  to  the  woods,  and  the  women 
staid  weeping  behind,  cutting  their  arms  with  muscle  shells, 
and  throwing  the  blood  towards  the  sun.  And  when  the  men 
returned,  the  three  days  were  finished. 

This  is  no  other  than  the  northern  Indians'  Passover,  oi* 
the  Feast  of  Love,  badly  told,  attended  with  their  universal 
custom  of  bleeding  themselves  after  great  exercise,  which 
the  Spaniards  foolishly  supposed  they  offered  up  to  the  sun. 


A   STAR   IN   THE   >VEST.  •^49 

These  Spanish  writers  also  assure  us,  that  the  Mexicans 
had  a  feast  and  month,  which  they  called  Hueitozolti,  when 
the  indian  corn  was  ripe.  Every  man  at  that  time  hringing 
an  handful  to  he  offered  at  the  temple,  with  a  kind  of  drink 
made  out  of  the  same  grains.  This  is  no  other  than  the  first 
fruit  offering  of  the  northern  Indians. 

Don  Antonio  de  llUoa  informs  us,  that  some  of  the  South- 
American  natives  cut  the  lohes  of  their  ears,  and  fasten  small 
weights  to  tliem,  in  order  to  lengthen  them ;  and  others  cut 
holes  in  their  upper  and  under  lips,  in  which  they  hang  pieces 
of  shells,  rings,  &c.*  This  also  agrees  with  the  practice  of 
every  nation  of  the  northern  Indians. 

Mr.  Bartram  says,  "  their  ears  are  lacerated,  separating 
the  border  or  cartilagenous  limb,  which  is  first  bound  round, 
very  close  and  tight,  with  leather  strings  or  thongs,  and  anoint- 
ed with  fresh  bear's  oil,  until  healed.  The  weight  of  the  lead 
which  they  hang  to  it,  extends  the  cartilage,  wliich  after  being 
craped  or  bound  round  with  brass  or  silver  wire,  extends  it 
semi  circularly,  like  a  bow  or  crescent,  and  it  is  then  very 
elastic.  It  is  then  decorated  with  a  plume  of  white  herons 
feathers. 
I  Jicosta  says,  that  the  clothes  of  the  South- Americans  are 
I  shaped  like  those  of  the  ancient  Jews,  being  a  square  little 
cloak,  over  a  little  coat. 

Lad,  in  his  description  of  South- America,  as  well  as  Escar* 
botas,  assures  us,  that  he  often  heard  the  South-Americans 
repeat  the  word  hallelujah.    And  Malvenda  says  tliat  the  na- 

*  Mr.  Bruce  in  his  travels,  speaking  of  a  sect  of  christians  called  Reramout,  says, 

"  their  women  pierce  their  ears,  and  apply  weights  to  make  them  hang  down  and 

enlarge  the  holes,  into  which  they  put  ear-rings  almost  as  big  as  shackles,  in  the 

»me  manner  as  do  the  Bedowise,  in  Syria  and  Palestine" — i  vol.  p.  '275. 

3  K 


250  A   STAll   IN  THE   WEST. 

,  lives  of  St.  Michael  had  tomb-stones  with  several  ancient 
Hebrew  characters  upon  them,  as  «  w/i?/  is  God  gone  awmj?^^ 
and  <^  he  is  dead,  God  knows." 

Tlie  Michuans,  one  of  the  original  nations  of  Mexico,  held, 

according  to  the  Abhe  Clavigero's  declaration,  this  tradition, 

that  "  there  was  once  a  great  deluge,  and  Tepzi,  as  they  call 

Noah,  in  order  to  save  himself  from  being  drowned,  embarked 

in  a  ship  formed  like  an  ark,  with  his  wife,  his  children,  and 

many  different  animals,  and  several  seeds  and  fruits.     As  the 

waters  abated,  he  sent  out  the  bird,  which  bears  the  name  of 

aurttf  whicli  remained  eating  dead  bodies.    He  then  sent  out 

other  birds,  which  did  not  return,  except  the  little  bird  called 

\   the  Jlower  sucker^  which  brought  a  small  branch  with  it" — 

I  Panoplist  for  June  1813,  page  9.    From  this  family  of  Tepziy 

I    ttie  Michuccans  all  believed  they  derived  their  origin.    Both 

^  Malvenda  and  Acosta  affirm  that  the  natives  observed  a  year 

?   of  jubilee,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  Israelites. 

Emanual  de  Moraez,  a  Portuguese  historian,  in  his  history 
of  Brazil,  says,  "  America  has  been  whoUy  peopled  hy  the 
Carthagenians  and  Israelites.  As  to  the  last,  he  says  nothing 
but  circumcision  is  wanting  to  constitute  a  perfect  resemblance 
between  them  and  the  Brazilians.''  And  we  have  seen,  that 
some  of  the  nations  practice  it  to  this  day. 

Monsieur  Poiitrinconrt  says,  that  at  an  early  day,  when  th© 
j  Canada  Indians  saluted  him,  they  said  ho-ho-ho, 
^  I  Mr.  Edwards,  in  his  history  of  the  West-Indies,  says, "  that 
the  striking  conformity  of  the  prejudices  and  customs  of  the 
Charibbee  Indians,  to  the  practices  of  the  Jews,  has  not 
escaped  the  notice  of  historians,  as  Gumella,  JDu  Tertre^  and 
others." 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  251 

Adair,  who  was  the  most  careful  observer  of  the  Indians'  \ 
whole  "economy,  both  public  and  private,  and  had  the  best  op- 
portunity of  knowing  it,  without  much  danger  of  deception, 
beyond  any  other  writer,  gives  his  opinion  in  these  words. 
<•'  It  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  divest  ourselves  of  prejudices 
and  favourite  opinions,  and  I  expect  to  be  censured  for  op- 
posing commonly  received  sentiments*  But  truth  is  my  ob- 
ject, and  from  the  most  exact  observations  I  could  make  in  the 
long  time  I  traded  among  the  Indian  Americans,  I  was  forced 
to  believe  them  to  be  lineallydescended  from  the  Israelites." 

The  Rev,  Mr.  BecUty  says,  "  I  have  before  hinted  tliat  I 
have  taken  great  pains  to  searcli  into  the  usages  and  customs 
of  the  Indians,  in  order  to  see  what  ground  there  was  for  sup- 
posing them  to  be  part  of  the  ten  tribes  of  the  ^Jews,  and  I 
must  own,  to  my  no  small  surprise,  that  a  number  of  their 
customs  appear  so  much  to  resemble  those  of  the  Jews,  that 
it  is  a  great  question  with  me,  whether  we  can  expect  to  find 
among  the  ten  tribes  (wherever  tliey  are)  at  this  day,  all 
things  considered,  more  of  the  footsteps  of  their  ancestors  than 
among  the  different  Indian  tribes.  It  is  not  forgotten  that  the 
Indians  are  charged,  as  a  barbamus,  revengeful,  cruel  and 
tblood  thirsty  race — deceitful,  ungrateful,  and  ever  ready  for 
murder  and  rapine.  Most  of  this  will  not  be  disputed.  They 
are  educated  from  their  infancy  to  make  war  in  this  cruel 
manner.  They  scalp  their  fallen  enemy,  and  most  crueUy 
torment  and  burn  some  of  those  whom  they  take  prisoners. 
This  they  think  lawful,  and  often  plead  the  will  of  the  great 
spirit  for  it.  It  is  their  habitual  custom,  and  tliey  make  war 
on  these  principles.  But  they  have  their  virtues  too.  They 
pay  the  greatest  respect  to  female  prisoners,  and  are  never 


252  A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST, 

known  to  offer  tliem  the  least  indecency.  "Whenever  they  de- 
termine to  spare  their  enemies,  which  is  often  done,  they  not 
only  make  them  free,  hut  they  adopt  them  into  their  families, 
and  make  them  a  part  of  their  nation,  with  all  the  privileges 
of  a  native  Indian.  This  is  an  instance  of  mildness  and  gen- 
erosity known  to  very  few  savages  in  the  world,  but  rather 
resembles  the  Romans. 

They  are  geneix)us,  hospitable,  kind  and  faithful  to  their 
friends  or  strangers,  in  as  great  a  degree  as  they  ai'e  vindic- 
tive and  barbarous  to  their  enemies  in  war. 

Col.  Smith,  in  his  journal  mentions,  « that  he  went  a  great 
distance  hunting  Avith  his  patron  Tontileaugo,  along  the  shore 
of  Lake  Erie.  Here  we  staid  several  days  on  account  of  the 
high  winds,  which  raised  the  lake  in  great  billows.  Tonti- 
leaugo went  out  to  hunt.  When  he  was  gone  a  Wiandot 
came  to  the  camp — I  gave  him  a  shoulder  of  venison  well 
roasted.  He  received  it  gladly — told  me  he  was  hungry,  and 
thanked  me  for  my  kindness.  When  my  patron  came  home, 
I  told  him  what  I  had  done— he  answered,  it  was  very  well, 
and  supposed  I  had  given  him  also  sugar  and  bears  oil  to  eat 
with  his  venison — I  told  him  I  did  not,  as  both  were  down  in 
the  canoe,  and  I  did  not  go  for  them.  He  replied,  you  have 
behaved  just  like  a  Dutchman.  Do  you  not  know,  that  when 
strangers  come  to  our  camp,  we  ought  always  to  give  them 
the  best  that  we  have.  I  acknowledged  my  fault.  He  said 
that  lie  would  excuse  this  as  I  was  but  young;  but  I  must 
learn  to  behave  like  a  warrior,  and  do  great  things,  and  never 
be  found  in  such  little  actions." — Page  25,  26. 

Smithy'm  his  history  of  New-Jersey,  informs  us,  ^<  that  the 
(  Indians  lon^  remembered  kindnesses  families  or  individuals 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  253 

had  shewn  them.  This  also  must  undoiihtedly  he  allowed,  that 
the  original  and  more  incorrupt  among  tliem,  very  seldom  for- 
got to  be  grateful,  where  real  benefits  had  been  received.  And 
notwithstanding  the  stains  of  perfidy  and  cruelty,  which  lat- 
terly, in  1754,  and  since,  have  disgraced  the  Indians  on  the 
frontiers  of  these  provinces,  (but  which  the  writer  well  knows 
had  been  produced  by  the  wicked  and  iinjust  oppression  of 
these  sons  of  nature,  by  the  white  people)  even  these,  by  the 
uninterrupted  intercourse  of  seventy  years,  had,  on  many  oc- 
casions, given  irrefragable  proofs  of  liberality  of  sentiment, 
hospitality  of  action  and  impressions,  that  seemed  to  promise 
a  continuation  of  better  things.  Witness  their  first  reception 
of  the  English — their  selling  their  lands  to  them  afterwards— 
their  former  undeviating  candor  at  treaties  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  other  incidents." — Page  144. 

But  however  guilty  these  unhappy  wandering  nations  may 
have  been,  neither  Europeans  or  Americans  ought  to  com- 
plain so  heavily  of  Indian  cruelties,  particularly  in  scalping 
their  enemies,  which  is  one  of  tlieir  most  habitual  cruelties, 
and  in  which  they  glory.  They  are  too  fully  justified  in  this 
horrible  practice,  by  the  encouragement  and  example  of  those 
who  call  themselves  civilized^  and  even  cliristians.  Herodotus 
informs  us  that  the  Scythians  scalped  their  enemies,  and  used 
them  as  troghies  of  victory.  Poljbius  says,  in  the  war  with 
the  Mercenaries,  Gisco,  the  Carthagenian  general,  and  seven 
hundred  prisoners  were  scalped  alive,  Varrus,  the  Roman 
general,  caused  two  thousand  Jews,  whom  he  had  taken  pris- 
oners, to  be  crucified  at  one  time — ^Josephus,  4  vol.  chap,  iii, 
page  12. 


254.  A   STAR  IN  THE   >VEST. 

Under  tlic  mild  government  of  Great-Britain,  and  that  of 
France,  premiums  liave  been  promised  and  given  to  the  In- 
dians, by  their  governors  and  generals,  for  the  scalps  of  their 
enemies.  Nay,  even  in  America,  acts  of  assembly  have  been 
passed,  giving  rewards  to  tlie  civilized  inhabitants,  for  scalps 

Sand  prisoners,  even  so  higli  as  one  hundred  pounds  for  an 
Indian  scalp — 2d  Golden,  120.     If  it  should  be  said  the  gov- 
ernment of  Great-Britain  ought  not  to  be  charged  witli  this, 
'   it  is  answered  that  government  not  only  knew  of  all  this,  but 
during  our  revolutionary  war,  the  British  secretary  of  state, 
in  the  House  of  Lords,  supjwrted  its  policy  and  necessity,  as 
,   they  ought  to  use  every  means  that  God  and  nature  had  put 
I    into  their  hands. — Belsham.   They  had  in  their  service  at  that 
time,  at  least  fifteen  hundred  Indian  warriors. 

Mr.  Belsliam  says,  that  in  the  revolutionary  war  with 
I  America,  the  son  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  ^<  held  a  great  war 
"  feast  with  the  Indians,  chiefly  Iroquois,  when  he  invited  them 
fo  banquet  upon  a  Bostonian  and  to  drink  his  blood."  And 
though  I  doubt  not  but  this  was  mere  hyperbolical  language, 
yet  did  it  not  countenance  and  encourage  the  Indians  in  their 
customary  cruelty  and  vindictive  rage  ?* 

*  But  are  the  United  States,  with  all  their  boasted  freedom  and  pliilanthropy, 
fVee  from  blame  on  this  subject  ?  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  report  from 
Brigadier  General  Clayborne,  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  since  these  sheets  have 
l>een  prepared  for  the  press,  even  so  late  as  1st  January,  1814.  "  Sir,  on  the  13th 
ultimo,  I  marched  a  detachment  from  this  post,  Avilh  a  view  of  destroying  the  towns 
of  the  inimical  Creek  Indians,  on  the  Ahibama,  sibove  the  mouth  of  the  Cahaba. 
After  having  marched  about  eighty  miles,  I  was  within  thirty  miks  of  a  town  new- 
ly erected  on  ground  called  holy,  occupied  by  a  large  body  of  the  enemy." 
«*  About  noon  of  the  23d,  the  right  column,  commanded  by  col.  Joseph  Carson, 
came  in  view  of  the  town  called  Eckanachaeu,  (or  holy  ground)  and  was  vigo- 
rously attacked" — "Thirty  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and  judging  from  eveiy  ap» 
pearance,  many  were  wounded.'*  **  In  the  town  Me  found  a  large  quantity  of  pro- 
visions, and  immense  property  of  various  kinds,  which  .the  enemy,  flying  prccipi- 


A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST.  2oJ 

In  ±79i,  the  six  nations,  including  a  late  addition  of  those 
of  Grand  River  in  Canada,  the  Stockbridge  and  Brotherton 
Indians,  consisted  of  about  six  thousand  souls.     They  now  do 

tately,  were  obliged  to  leave  behind,  and  which  togetlier  with  two  hundred  houses 
were  destroyed.  They  had  barely  time  to  reniove  their  women  and  children 
across  the  Alabama,  which  runs  near  where  the  town  stood.  The  next  day  was 
occupied  in  destroying  a  town  consisting  of  sixty  houses,  eight  miles  higher  up  the 
river."  "The  town  first  destroyed,  was  built  since  the  commencement  of  hostili- 
ties, and  was  established  as  a  place  of  security  for  the  inhabitants  of  several  villa- 
ges." '  Three  principal  prophets  resided  there — United  States  Gazette,  15th  Feb- 
ruaF)',  1814.  In  Nile's  Register,  of  September  26,  1812,  we  find  this  pleasing 
flight  of  the  imagination  of  the  fiiends  of  the  war.  "Imagination  (says  the  Reg- 
ister) looks  forward  to  the  moment,  when  all  the  southern  Indians  [meaning  as 
well  in  Florida  as  in  Georgia]  shall  be  pushed  across  the  Missisippi."  And  again 
in  the  same  paper  *' fortunately  this  nation  [meaning  the  Creeks  in  Georgia]  have 
supplied  us  with  a  pretext  for  dismembering  their  country."  Now  the  southern 
Indians  had  not  at  that  time  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the  United  States.  In 
proof  of  this,  we  have  the  assertion  of  Governor  Mitchel,  who  in  his  speech  to  the 
legislature  of  Georgia,  October  1812,  (the  next  month  after  the  above  publication 
in  the  Register)  said,  "as  yet  those  [Indians]  within  the  United  States  lines,  pro- 
fess peace  and  friendship."  Shortly  after  this  speech  the  war  with  the  southern 
Indians  was  commenced.  The  radical  cause  of  it  is  more  than  broadly  hinted  at 
in  the  letter  of  the  Governor  of  St.  Augustine,  to  Governor  Mitchel,  dated  Decem- 
ber 12,  1812— He,  along  with  other  warm  expostulations,  regarding  the  conspira- 
cy of  the  people  of  Georgia,  to  expel  or  destroy  the  Indians,  has  the  following; 
**The  Indians  are  to  be  insulted,  threatened  and  driven  from  their  lands  ;  if  they 
resist,  nothing  less  than  extermination  is  to  be  their  fate  ;  but  you  deceive  your- 
self sir,  if  you  think  the  world  is  blind  to  your  motives ;  it  is  not  long  since  the 
state  of  Georgia  had  a  slice  of  Indian  lands,  and  the  fever  is  again  at  its  height." 
Accordingly,  in  1813,  Nile's  Register  sounded  the  tocsin  for  their  extermination. 
"All  these  pleasing  prospects,  says  he,  are  clouded  by  blood,  and  forever  blasted 
by  that  treacherous  people  [meaning  the  Creeks]  for  whom  we  have  done  so 
much,  so  that  mercy  itself  seems  to  demand  their  extermination.  And  afterwards, 
"  the  fighting  continued,  with  some  severity,  about  five  hours,  but  we  continued  to 
destroy  many  of  them,  "that  is  after  the  fighting  was  over,"  who  had  concealed 
themselves  under  the  bank  of  the  i-iver,  until  we  were  prevented  by  night.  This 
morning  we  killed  sixteen,  who  had  been  concealed."— Poulson's  Daily  Adverti- 
ser, June  24, 1814. 

Yet  we  are  the  people  who  remonstrate  with  zealous  warmth  and  loud  recrimi- 
nation against  the  barbarism  of  the  British  army,  in  wantonly  burning  our  towns 
and  injuring  the  defenceless  inhabitants,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  civilized  warfare — 
a  strange  warfare  it  must  be— Civilized  warf^ire,  what  a  contradiction  in  exj)re8s 
terms.  Alas  !  what  has  not  our  nation  to  answer  for  at  the  bar  of  retributive  j^ns- 
tice.    The  capitol  of  Washington,  in  flames,  instructs  on  this  occasioa. 


256  A   STAR   IN   THE    >VEST. 

not  exceed  half  that  numher.  They  have  not  reserved  to 
them  now,  above  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  out  of 
their  immense  territory  of  at  least  one  thousand  miles  long, 
and  five  hundred  miles  hroad. — Clinton  48,  53. 

The  famous  capt.  Cook,  in  his  visit  to  the  coast  of  America, 
in  the  south  seas,  without  any  reference  to  this  great  question, 
barely  gives  you  the  facts  that  appeared  to  him  during  the  \e- 
ry  short  intercourse  he  had  with  them — 2  vol.  266,  283. 

He  says  that  "  the  inhabitants  met  them,  singing  in  slow 
and  then  quicker  time,  accompanying  their  notes  with  beat- 
ing time  in  concert,  with  their  paddles,  and  regular  motions  of 
their  hands,  and  other  expressive  gestures.  At  the  end  of 
each  song,  they  remained  silent,  and  then  began  again  pro- 
nouncing ho-ho-ahf  forcibly  as  a  chorus.  The  ship's  crew  list- 
ened with  great  admiration — the  natives  behaved  well. 

<<  The  people  of  Nootka  Sound,  keep  the  exactest  concert  in 
their  songs,  by  great  numbers  together — they  are  slow  and 
solemn — their  variations  are  numerous  and  expressive,  and 
the  cadence  or  melody  powerfully  soothing — ^their  music  was 
sometimes  varied  from  its  predominant  solemnity  of  air,  and 
sung  in  a  more  gay  and  lively  strain— they  have  a  weapon 
made  of  stone,  not  unlike  the  American  tomahawk,  they  call 
it  Taaweesh  and  Tsusknah Page  310. 

Their  manufactures  and  mechanic  arts  are  far  more  exten- 
sive and  ingenious  than  the  savages  of  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
whether  we  regard  the  design  or  the  execution.  Their  flaii- 
nel  and  woollen  garments,  made  of  the  bark  of  a  pine  tree 
beaten  into  an  hempen %tate,  with  various  figures  artificially 
inserted  into  them,  with  great  taste,  and  of  different  colours 
of  exquisite  brightness.    They  are  also  famous  for^jgamting 


I 


I 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  257 

and  carving— ibid  304.  Their  common  dress  is  a  flannel  gar- 
ment or  mantle,  ornamented  on  the  upper  edge  by  a  narrow 
strip  of  fur,  and  at  the  latter  edge  by  fringes  or  tassels.  Over 
this,  which  reaches  below  the  knees,  is  worn  a  small  cloak 
of  the  same  substance,  likewise  fringed  at  the  lower  part. 
Every  reader  must  be  reminded  by  this  of  the  fringes  and 
tassels  of  the  Jews  on  tlieir  garments. 

In  Prince  William's  Sound,  the  common  dress  is  a  kind  of 
frock  or  robe,  reaching  to  the  knees,  and  sometimes  to  the 
ankles,  made  of  the  skins  of  animals^  and  in  one  or  two  in- 
stances they  had  woollen  garments.  All  are  ornamented 
with  tassels  or  fringes.  A  few  had  a  cape  or  collar,  and  some 
a  hood.  This  bears  a  great  resemblance  to  the  dress  of  the 
Grecnlanders,  as  described  by  Crantz — ibid  367—8.  The 
reader  will  find  in  Crant^^  many  striking  instances,  in  which 
the  Grecnlanders  and  Americans  of  this  pan  of  America  re- 
semble each  other,  besides  those  mentioned  by  capt.  Coook" —  . 
vol.  1, 136,  138. 

Father  Joseph  Gumella,  in  his  account  of  the  nations  bor- 
dering on  the  Oronoko,  relates  that  the  Charibbee  Indians  of 
the  continent,  punished  their  women  caught  in  adultery,  like 
the  ancient  Jews,  by  stoning  them  to  death  before  the  assem- 
bly of  the  people — ^Edward's  West-Indies,  1  vol.  39,  in  a  note. 


2L 


A   STAK   IN   THE   WEST.  259 


CHAPTER  X. 


The.  Indians  have  a  system  ofmoraliiy  avion-g  them,  that  is  very 
striking, — They  have  teachers  to  instruct  them  in  it — of  which 
they  Imve  thought  very  highly,  till  of  late  years,  they  begin  to 
doiibt  its  efficacy, 

WE  are  indebted  to  Dobson's  Enpjclapedia  for  the  following 
testimony  in  favour  of  Indian  morality — vol.  1,  page  557.  It 
is  the  advice  given  from  a  father  to  a  son,  it  is  believed,  taken 
from  a  Spanish  author.  «« jNIy  son,  who  art  come  into  the  light 
from  the  womb,  we  know  not  how  long  heaven  will  grant  to  us 
the  enjoyment  of  tliat  precious  gem,  whicli  we  possess  in  thee. 
But  however  short  the  period,  endeavour  to  live  exactly — 
praying  to  the  great  spirit  continually  to  assist  thee.  H^ 
created  thee — tliou  art  his  property.  He  is  thy  father,  and 
loves  thee  still  more  tlian  I  do.  Repose  in  him  thy  thoughts, 
and  day  and  night  direct  thy  sighs  to  him.  Reverence  and 
salute  thy  elders,  and  hold  no  one  in  contempt*  To  the  poor 
and  distressed  be  not  dumb,  but  rather  use  words  of  comfort." 
"  Mock  not,  my  son,  the  aged  or  the  imperfect.  Scorn  not 
liim  who  you  see  fall  into  some  folly  or  transgression,  nor  make 
him  reproaches ;  and  beware  lest  thou  fall  into  the  same  er- 
ror, which  offends  thee  in  another.  Go  not  where  thou  art 
not  called,  nor  interfere  in  that  which  does  not  concern  thee." 
<•  No  more,  my  son.  Enougli  has  been  said  in  discharge  of 
the  duties  of  a  father.     With  these  councils  I  wish  to  fortify 


I 


260  A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST. 

thy  mind.  Refuse  them  not,  nor  act  in  contradiction  to  them ; 
for  on  them,  thy  life  and  all  thy  happiness  depend.'^ 

Mr.  Beatty,  when  among  the  Indians  on  the  Ohio,  address- 
ed them.  In  answer,  the  speaker  said,  "  that  they  believed 
that  there  was  a  great  spirit  above,  and  desired  to  serve  him 
in  the  best  manner  they  could.  That  they  thought  of  him  at 
their  rising  up,  and  lying  down  ;  and  hoped  he  would  look  upon 
them,  and  be  kind  to  them,  and  do  them  good."  In  the  even- 
ing several  came  to  their  lodging.  Among  these  was  one  called 
Neolin,  a  young  man,  who  used  for  some  time  past  to  speak 
to  his  brethren,  the  Indians,  about  their  wicked  ways.  He  had 
taken  great  pains  with  them,  and  so  far  as  Mr.  Beatty  could 
learn,  he  had  been  the  means  of  reforming  a  number  of  them. 
He  was  informed  by  a  captive,  who  had  been  adopted  into 
Neolin's  family,  that  he  frequently  used  to  boil  a  quantity  of 
bitter  roots,  till  the  water  became  very  strong — that  he  drank 
plentifully  of  this  liquor,  and  made  his  family  and  relatives 
drink  of  it.  That  it  proved  a  severe  emetic.  The  end  of 
which,  as  Neolin  said,  was  to  cleanse  them  from  their  inward 
sins." 

The  following  is  an  account  of  their  evening  entertainment 
at  Altasse,  one  of  the  Creek  towns,  in  the  year  1778.  The 
writer,  after  describing  the  council  house,  where  the  Indians 
met,  says,  « the  assembly  being  now  seated  in  order,  and  the 
house  illuminated  by  their  mystical  cane  fire  in  the  middle  ; 
two  middle  aged  men  came  in  together,  each  having  a  very 
large  conck  shell,  full  of  black  drink,  advancing  with  slow, 
uniform  and  steady  steps,  their  eyes  and  countenances  lifted 
up,  and  singing  very  low,  but  sweetly,  till  they  came  within 
six  or  eight  steps  of  the  king's  and  white  people's  seats,  when 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  261 

tliey  stopped,  and  each  rested  his  shell  on  a  little  table ;  but 
soon  taking  it  up  again,  advanced,  and  each  presented  his 
shell,  one  to  the  king,  and  the  other  to  the  chief  of  the  white 
people  I  and  as  soon  as  he  raised  it  to  his  mouth,  they  uttered 
or  sang  two  notes,  each  of  which  continued  as  long  as  he  had 
breath,  and  as  long  as  these  notes  continued,  so  long  must  the 
person  drink,  or  at  leavSt  keep  the  shell  to  his  mouth.  These 
long  notes  are  very  solemn,  and  at  once  strike  the  imagination 
with  a  religious  awe  and  liomage  to  the  Supreme  Being,  sound- 
ing somewhat  like  a-hoo-o-jah  and  a-lu-yaJu  After  this  manner 
the.  whole  assembly  wovp.  trented,  as  long  as  the  drink  and 
light  continued  to  hold  out.  As  soon  as  the  drink  began,  to- 
bacco and  pipes  were  brought  in.  The  king  or  chief  smoked, 
first  in  the  great  pipe,  a  few  whiffs,  blowing  it  off  ceremonious- 
ly, first  towards  the  sun,  or  as  it  is  generally  supposed,  to  the 
great  spirit,  for  it  is  puffed  upwards ;  next  towards  the  four 
cardinal  points ;  then  towards  the  white  people  in  the  house. 
Then  the  great  pipe  is  taken  from  the  hand  of  tlie  king,  and 
presented  to  the  chief  white  man,  and  then  to  the  great  war 
chief,  from  whence  it  is  circulated  through  the  ranks  of  head 
men  and  warriors ;  and  then  returned  to  the  chief.  After  this, 
each  one  filled  his  pipe  from  his  ow  n,  or  his  neighbour's  poiteh. 
Here  all  classes  of  citizens  resort  every  niglit  in  the  summer 
or  moderate  season.  The  women  and  children  are  not  allow- 
ed, or  very  seldom,  to  enter  the  public  square." 

In  this  same  year,  the  son  of  the  Spanish  governor  of  St. 
Augustine,  in  East  Florida,  with  two  of  his  companions,  were 
brought  m  prisoners,  they  being  then  at  war  with  that  prov- 
ince. They  were  all  condemned  to  be  burned.  The  English 
traders  in  the  town  petitioned  the  Indians  in  their  behidf,  ex- 


363  A   STAK  IN   THE   WEST. 

pressing  their  wishes  to  obtain  »their  pardon,  offering  a  great 
ransom,  acquainting  tliem  at  the  same  time  with  their  rank. 
Upon  this,  the  head  men,  or  chiefs,  of  the  whole  nation,  were 
convened  ;  and  after  solemn  and  mature  deliberation,  returned 
the  traders  their  final  answer,  in  the  following  address : 

"  Brothers  and  friends — we  have  been  considering  upon  this 
business  concerning  the  captives,  and  that  mider  the  eye  and 
fear  of  the  great  spirit.  You  know  that  these  people  ai'e  our 
cruel  enemies — they  save  no  lives  of  us  red  men,  who  fall  in 
their  power.  You  say  that  the  youth  is  the  son  of  the  Spanish 
governor — we  believe  it.  We  are  sorry  tliat  he  has  fallen  into 
our  hands,  but  he  is  our  enemy.  The  two  young  men,  his 
friends,  are  equally  our  enemies.  We  are  sorry  to  see  them 
here.  But  we  know  no  difference  in  their  flesh  and  blood. 
They  are  equally  our  enemies.  If  we  save  one,  we  must 
save  all  three.  But  vve  cannot  do  this.  The  red  men  require 
their  blood  to  appease  the  spiiits  of  their  slain  relatives. 
They  have  entrusted  us  with  the  guardianship  of  our  laws 
and  rights— we  cannot  betray  them.  However,  we  have  a  sa- 
cred prescription  relative  to  this  affair,  which  allows  us  to  ex- 
tend mercy  to  a  certain  degree.  A  third  is  to  be  saved  by 
lot.  The  great  spirit  allows  us  to  put  it  to  that  decision. 
He  is  no  respecter  of  persons.^  The  lots  were  cast.  The 
governor's  son  and  one  of  his  friends  were  taken  and  burnt. 

This  must  certainly  appear  to  some  as  the  act  of  barba- 
rians, but  how  far  is  it  removed  from  the  pi'actice  of  tfe^  Jews, 
when  they  so  vociferously  called  out,  crucify  him,  crucify  him  ? 
And  Pilate  said  ye  have  a  custom  that  I  should  release  a 
prisoner  to  you  at  the  feast,  but  tliey  cried  more  bitterly,  not 
this  man,  but  Barabbas. 


A   STAR  IX  THE   WEST.  263 

A  minister  preaching  to  a  congregation  of  christian  Indians, 
west  of  the  Delaware,  oh  served  a  stranger  Indian,  listening 
with  great  attention.  After  the  service,  the  minister  enquir- 
ed who  he  was  ?  It  appeared  on  enquiry,  that  he  lived  three 
hundred  miles  to  tlie  westward — that  he  had  just  arrived  and 
gave  this  account  of  himself.  "  That  his  elder  brother  living 
in  his  house,  had  been  many  days  and  nights  in  great  per- 
plexity, wishing  to  learn  to  know  the  great  spirit,  till  at  length 
he  resolved  to  retire  into  the  woods,  supposing  that  he  should 
succeed  better  in  a  state  of  separation  from  all  mankind. 
Having  spent  many  weeks  alone  in  great  affliction,  he  thought 
he  saw  a  man  of  majestic  appearance,  who  informed  him  tliat 
there  were  Indians  living  to  the  south-east,  who  were  acquaint- 
ed with  the  great  spirit  and  the  way  to  everlasting  life ;  add- 
ing that  he  sliould  go  home  and  tell  his  people,  what  he  had 
seen  and  heard.  For  this  reason,  as  soon  as  he  heard  his 
brother  speak,  he  determined  to  travel  in  search  of  tlie  peo- 
ple he  had  described,  till  he  found  them ;  and  since  he  had 
heard  what  had  been  said  that  day,  the  words  had  been  wel- 
come to  his  heart." 

A  missionary  made  a  journey  to  the  Shawanese  country, 
the  most  savage  of  the  Indian  nations.  He  stopped  at  the 
first  village  he  came  to,  and  lodged  witli  one  of  the  chief  men. 
He  informed  the  chief  of  his  business,  and  opened  some  truths 
of  the  gospel  to  him  by  means  of  an  interpreter  who  ac- 
companied him.  The  chief  paid  great  attention,  and  after 
sometime  told  him,  that  he  was  convinced  that  the  mis- 
sionary's doctrines  were  true,  pointing  out  the  right  road. 
That  the  Shawanese  had  been  long  striving  to  find  out  the 
vay  of  life  -,  but  that  he  must  own,  with  regret,  that  all  their 


264  A  STAR  IN  THE  WEST. 

labour  and  researches  had  been  in  vain.  That  they,  tliere- 
fore,  had  lost  all  courage,  not  knowing  what  they  should  do 
further,  to  obtain  happiness.  The  chief  accompanied  the 
missionary  to  the  next  village  and  persuaded  him  to  lodge 
with  a  heathen  teacher. 

The  missionary  then  preached  to  him,  and  told  him  that 
he  had  brought  hini  the  words  of  eternal  lite.  I'his  the  In- 
dian said  was  what  they  wanted,  and  they  would  hear  him 
with  pleasure.  After  some  days,  the  heathen  teacher  said, 
I  have  not  been  able  to  sleep  all  night,  for  I  am  continually 
meditating  upon  your  words,  and  will  now  open  to  you  my 
whole  heart.  I  believe  what  you  say  is  the  truth.  A  year 
ago  I  became  convinced,  that  we  are  altogether  sinful  crea- 
tures, and  that  none  of  our  good  works  can  save  us ;  but  I  did 
not  know  what  to  do  to  get  relief.  I  have  therefore  always 
comforted  my  people,  that  some  body  would  come  and  shew 
us  the  true  way  to  happiness,  for  we  are  not  in  the  right  way. 
And  even  but  the  day  before  you  came,  I  desired  my  people 
to  have  a  little  patience,  and  that  some  teacher  would  certain- 
ly come.  Now  you  are  come,  and  I  verily  believe  tliat  the 
great  spirit  has  sent  you  to  make  known  his  word  to  us." 

Monsieur  Be  Lapoterie,  a  French  author,  speaking  of  the 
Cherokces  and  other  southern  Indians,  gives  this  account  of 
them :  ^'  These  Indians  look  upon  the  end  of  life,  to  be  living 
happily ;  and  for  this  purpose  their  whole  customs  are  calcu- 
lated to  prevent  avarice,  which  they  think  embitters  life. 

Nothing  is  a  more  severe  reflection  among  them  than  to  say, 
that  a  vian  loves  his  own.  To  prevent  the  use  and  propaga- 
tion of  such  a  vice,  upon  the  death  of  an  Indian,  they  burn 
all  that  belongs  to  the  deceased,  that  there  may  be  no  tempta- 


A    STAR    IN   THE    WEST.  263 

tioii  fur  tlie  parent  to  hoard  up  a  superfluity  of  arms  or  domcs-^ 
tic  conveniences  for  liis  children.  They  cultivate  no  more 
land  than  is  necessary  for  their  plentiful  subsistence  and  hos- 
pitality to  strans^crs.  At  the  feast  of  expiation,  tlicy  also 
burn  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth  and  grain  left  of  the  past  year's 
crops. 

Mr.  Brainerd  informs  us,  that  at  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  from  our  settlements,  he  met  with  an  Indian,  who 
was  said  to  be  a  devout  and  zealous  reformer.  He  was  dres- 
sed in  a  hideous  and  ten-ifick  manner.  He  had  a  house  con- 
secrated to  religious  purposes.  Mr.  Brainerd  discoursed  with 
him  about  Christianity,  and  some  of  the  discourse  he  seemed 
to  like,  but  some  of  it  he  wholly  rejected.  He  said  that  God 
had  taught  him  his  religion,  and  that  he  would  never  turn 
from  it;  but  wanted  to  find  some  who  would  heartijy  join  him 
in  it,  for  the  Indians  had  grown  very  degenerate  and  corrupt. 
He  said  he  had  thoughts  of  leaving  all  his  friends  and  travel- 
ling abroad  in  order  to  find  some  who  would  join  with  him,  for 
he  believed  that  the  great  spirit  had  good  people  some  wlicre, 
wlio  felt  as  he  did.  He  said  that  he  had  not  always  felt  as 
he  then  did,  but  had  formerly  been  like  the  rest  of  the  Indians, 
until  about  four  or  five  years  before  that  time.  Then  he  said, 
that  his  heart  was  very  much  distressed,  so  that  he  could  not 
live  among  the  Indians,  but  got  away  into  the  woods  and  liv- 
ed for  some  months.  At  length  he  said  the  great  spirit  had 
comforted  his  heart  and  shewed  him  wliat  he  should  do ;  and 
since  that  time  he  had  known  tlie  great  spirit  and  tried  to 
serve  him,  and  loved  all  men,  be  they  who  they  may,  so  as  he 
never  did  before.  He  treated  Mr.  Brainerd  with  uncommon 
courtesy,  and  seemed  to  be  hearty  in  it 


^66  A    STAR   IN    THE    AVE  ST. 

The  other  Indians  said,  that  he  liad  opposed  their  drink- 
ing strong  liquor  witli  all  his  power,  and  if  at  any  time  he 
could  not  dissuade  them  from  it,  he  would  leave  them  and  go 
crying  into  the  woods.     It  w^as  manifest  that  he  had  a  set  of 
religious  notions  of  his  own,  that  he  had  looked  into  for  him- 
self, and  had  not  taken  for  granted  upon  hare  tradition ;  and 
lie  relished  or  disrelislicd,  whatever  was  spoken  of  a  religious 
nature,  according  as  it  agreed  or  disagreed  with  his  standard. 
He  w  wdd  sometimes  say,  now,  that  1  like,  so  the  great  spirit 
has  tauglit  me,  &c.     Some  of  his  sentiments  seemed  very 
just;  yet  he  utterly  denied  the  existence  of  an  evil  spirit,  and 
declared  there  was  no  such  a  being  known  among  the  Indians 
of  old  times,  whose  religion  he  supposed  he  was  attempting  to 
revive.     He  also  said  that  departed  souls  went  southward,  and 
tliat  the  difference  between  the  good  and  bad  was,  that  the 
former  were  admitted  into  a  beautiful  town  with  spiritual  walls, 
or  walls  agreeably  to  the  nature  of  souls.     The  latter  would 
forever  hover  round  those  walls,  and  in  vain  attempt  to  get 
in.     He  seemed  to  be  sincere,  honest  and  conscientious  in  his 
awn  way,  and  according  to  his  own  religious  notions,  which 
was  more  than  could  be  said  of  most  otlier  pagans  Mr.  Brain- 
erd  had  seen.     He  was  considered  and  derided  by  the  other 
Indians  as  a  precise  zealot,  who  made  an  unnecessary  noise 
about  religious  mattei's,  but  in  Mr.  Braincrd's  opinion,  there 
was  something  in  liis  temper  and  disposition  that  looked  more 
like  true  religion,  than  any  thing  he  had  observed  among  oth- 
er heatlien  Indians. 

Smith,  in  his  history  of  New^-Jersey,  gives  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  on  this  subject,  from  an  Indian  interpre- 
ter, tlie  wtU  known  Conrad  Wiser — li5. 


A    STAU   IN    THE    AVKST.  267 

**  I  MTite  this  to  i^ivc  an  account  of  wliat  I  have  observed 
amongst  the  Indians,  in  relation  to  their  belief  and  confidence 
in  a  divine  being,  according  to  th*^.  observations  I  have  made 
from  the  year  1714,  in  the  time  of  my  youth  to  this  day.  Jf 
by  the  word  relig-ioiu  is  meant  an  assent  to  certain  creeds,  or 
the  observation  of  a  set  of  religious  duties,  as  appointed  pray- 
ers, singing,  preaching,  ba])tism,  ike,  or  even  heathenish  wor- 
ship, tlien  it  may  be  said,  the  Five  Nations  have  no  religion  : 
but  if  by  religion  we  mean,  an  attraction  of  the  soul  to  God, 
whence  proceeds  a  confidence  in  and  an  hunger  after  the 
knowledge  of  liim,  then  this  pecple  must  be  allowed  to  have 
some  religion  among  them,  notwithstanding  tlieir  wsome  times 
savage  deportment ;  for  we  find  among  them  some  ti^its  of 
a  confidence  in  God  alone,  and  even  some  times,  though  but 
seldom,  a  vocal  calling  upon  him. 

In  the  year  1737,  I  was  sent  fi)r  the  first  time  to  Ononda- 
go,  at  the  desire  of  the  governor  of  Virginia.  I  sat  out  the  lat- 
ter end  of  February,  for  a  journey  of  five  hundred  English 
miles,  through  a  wilderness  where  tliere  \\  as  neither  road  nor 
path;  there  were  with  me  a  Dutchman  and  three  Indians." 
He  then  gives  a  most  fearful  account  of  the  distresses  to  which 
they  were  driven — particularly  on  the  side  of  a  mountain 
wliere  the  snow  was  so  hard,  tliat  tliey  were  obliged  to  make 
holes  in  it  with  their  hatchets  to  put  their  feet  in,  to  keep  them 
from  sliding  down  the  mountain.  At  length  one  of  the  In- 
dians slipped  and  went  down  the  mountain,  but  on  his  way 
was  stopped  by  the  string  of  his  pack  hitching  fast  to  a  stump 
of  a  small  tree.  They  were  obliged  then  to  go  down  into  the 
valley,  when  they  looked  up  and  saw  "  that  if  the  Indian  had 
slipped  fi>?ir  oi'  five  paces  further  he  would  have  fallen  ovei-  a 


268  A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST, 

rock,  one  hundred  feet  perpendicular,  upon  craggy  pieces  of 
rock  below.  The  Indian  was  astonished  and  turned  quite 
pale — .tlien  witli  out-stretched  arms,  and  great  earnestness, 
spoke  these  words,  /  thank  the  great  Lord  and  Governor  of  this 
world  thai  he  has  had  mercy  upon  me,  and  has  been  willing  iJiat 
J  should  live  longer;  whieli  words  I  at  that  time  sat  down  in 
my  journal.     This  happened  on  the  25th  March,  1737." 

On  the  9th  April  following,  he  was  reduced  so  low  tliat  he 
gave  up  all  hopes  of  ever  getting  to  his  journey's  end.  He 
stepped  aside  and  sat  down  under  a  tree,  expecting  there  to 
die.  His  companions  soon  missed  him — they  came  back  and 
found  him  sitting  there,  **  I  to)d  them  that  I  would  go  no 
further,  but  would  die  there.*'  They  remained  silent  awhile* 
at  last  the  old  Indian  said,  my  dear  comjjanwnf  thou  hast  hith- 
erto encouraged  us,  wilt  thou  now  quite  give  up  ?  Remember  that 
evil  days  are  better  than  good  daij^,Jor  when  we  suj^ermvch,  we 
da  not  sin  ;  and  sin  will  be  drove  out  of  us  by  svffeiing  ;  but  good 
days  cause  men  to  sin,  and  God  cannot  extend  his  mercy  to  tJiem, 
bid  contrarywisc,  when  it  goeth  evil  with  ns,  God  hath  compas* 
sion  on  us.  These  words  made  me  ashamed ;  I  rose  up  and 
travelled  on  as  well  as  I  could."  "  Two  years  ago  I  was  sent 
by  the  governor  to  Shamoken,  on  account  of  the  unhappy 
death  of  John  Armstrong,"  after  he  had  perftn^med  his  er- 
rand, which  was  to  make  peace  by  the  punishment  of  the  mur-  " 
derer.  The  Indians  made  a  great  feast  for  him ;  and  after 
they  had  done,  the  chief  addressed  liis  people,  and  exhorted 
them  to  thankfulness  to  God— then  began  to  sing  with  an  aw» 
jful  solemnity,  but  without  expressing  words,  tlie  others  ac- 
companied him  with  their  voices.  After  tliey  had  done,  the 
same  Indian,  with  great  earnestness  said,  thanks /  thanks!  he 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  260 

to  thee,  thou  great  Lord  of  the  world,  in  that  tliou  hast  again  caus- 
ed the  S2in  to  shine  and  hast  dispersed  the  dark  cloud.  The  Indians 
arc  ihineJ'^ 

The  old  king  Ockaiiickonf  who  died  in  1681,  in  Burlington, 
New- Jersey,  just  before  his  death,  sent  for  his  brother's  son, 
wliom  he  had  appointed  to  be  king  after  liim ;  he  addressed  him 
thus,  "  My  brothei^'s  son,  this  day  I  deliver  my  heart  into  your 
bosom — mind  me.  I  would  have  you  love  what  is  good,  and 
keep  good  company ,  refuse  what  is  evil,  and  by  all  means 
avoid  bad  company."  *' Brother's  son!  I  would  have  you 
cleanse  your  ears,  that  you  may  hear  both  good  and  evil ;  and 
then  join  with  the  good  and  refuse  tlie  evil ;  and  where  you 
see  evil,  do  not  join  with  it,  but  join  to  tliat  wliich  is  good," 
*«  Brother's  son !  I  advise  you  to  be  plain  and  fair,  with  all, 
both  Indians  and  christians,  as  I  have  been.  I  am  very  weak, 
otherwise  I  would  have  spoken  more."  After  he  stopped, 
Mr.  Budd,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  West-Jersey,  said  to  ]jim, 
•"«  there  is  a  great  God,  who  created  all  things ;  that  he  had 
given  man  an  undeistanding  of  wliat  was  good  and  bad  ;  and 
after  this  life  rewarded  tlie  good  with  blessings,  and  the  bad 
according  to  tlieir  doings."  The  king  answered,  <^  it  is  venj 
true.  It  is  so.  There  are  two  ways,  a  broad  and  a  straight 
waif ;  there  are  two  paths,  a  broad  and  a  straight  path  ;  the  worst 
and  the  greatest  number  go  hi  the  broad,  the  best  and  fewest,  hi 
the  straight  path.^' — Smith's  history  New-Jersey,  li9.  The 
Indians  originally  skewed  great  integrity  in  their  dealings, 
especially  with  one  another. 

Col.  Smith  informs  us  that  going  a  hunting  to  a  very  great 
distance,  and  having  got  many  skins  and  furs  by  the  way, 


270  A    STAR   IN   THE   M'ElfiT. 

very  inconvenient  to  carry,  tliey  stretched  them  on  scaffolds 
and  left  them  till  their  retiim. 

When  they  returned  some  considerable  time  after,  they 
found  tlieir  skins  and  furs  all  safe.  "  Tliough  this  was  a  pub- 
lic place  and  Indians  often  passing  and  our  skins  hanging  np 
to  view,  yet  there  WTre  none  stolen,  and  it  is  seldom  that  In- 
dians do  steal  any  tiling  iVom  one  another ;  and  they  say  they 
never  did,  until  the  wliitc  people  came  among  them,  and  learn- 
ed some  of  them  to  lie,  cheat  and  steal.*' — Page  42. 

He  further  informs  us  that  being  in  the  w^oods  in  the  month 
of  February,  there  fell  a  snow^  and  tlien  came  a  severe  frost 
that  when  tliey  w^alked  caused  tliem  to  make  a  noise  by  break- 
ing thi'ough  the  crust,  and  so  frightened  the  deer  that  they 
could  get  notliing  to  eat.  He  hunted  two  days  without  food, 
and  then  returned  fatigued,  faint  and  weary.  He  related  his 
want  of  success.  Tontileaugo  asked  him  if  he  was  not  hun- 
gry— he  said  he  was — he  ordered  his  little  son  to  bring  liim 
something  to  eat.  He  brougljt  Idm  a  kettle  with  some  bones 
and  brotli,  made  from  tliose  of  a  fox  and  wild  cat  that  the  ra- 
vens and  turkey  buzzards  had  picked,  and  which  lay  about 
the  camp.  He  speedily  finished  Ids  repast  and  was  greatly 
refreslied.  Tontileaugo  gave  him  a  pipe  and  tobacco^ — and 
when  he  had  done  smoking,  lie  said  that  he  had  something  of 
importance  to  tell  him — Smith  said  he  was  ready  to  hear. 
He  said  he  had  deferred  his  speech,  because  few^  men  were 
in  a  right  humor  to  hear  good  talk  when  they  are  extremely 
Iningry,  as  they  are  then  generally  fretful  and  discomposed ; 
but  as  you  appear  now  to  enjoy  calmness  and  serenity  of  mind, 
I  will  now^  communicate  the  thoughts  of  my  heart,  and  those 
things  which  I  know  to  be  true.     Brother ! — As  you  have 


A    STAR   IN    THE    AVEST.  271 

lived  with  the  wliite  people,  you  have  not  had  the  same  ad- 
vantage of  knowing  that  the  great  being  above,  feeds  his  peo- 
ple and  gives  tliem  tlieir  meat  in  due  season,  as  we  Indians 
have,  who  are  frequently  out  of  provisions,  and  yet  are  won- 
derfully supplied,  and  that  so  frequently,  that  it  is  evidently 
the  hand  of  the  great  Owaneeyo,  (this  in  their  language  sig- 
nifies the  owner  and  ruler  of  all  things)  that  doeth  this. 
Wiiereas  the  white  people  have  large  stocks  of  tame  cattle 
that  they  can  kill  when  they  please,  and  also  their  barns  and 
cribs  filled  with  grain,  and  tiierefore  have  not  tlie  same  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  and  knowing  that  they  are  supported  by  the 
ruler  of  heaven  and  earth.  Brother  !  I  know  that  you  are 
now  afraid  that  we  will  all  perish  with  hunger  ;  but  you  have 
no  just  reason  to  fear  this.  Brother !  I  Iiave  been  young  but 
am  now  old !  I  have  frequently  been  under  the  like  circum- 
stances that  we  now  are,  and  that,  sometime  or  other,  in  al- 
most every  year  of  my  life;  yet  I  have  hitherto  been  supjwrt- 
ed  and  my  wants  supplied  in  times  of  need.  Brother !  Owan- 
eeyo !  sometimes  suffers  us  to  be  in  want,  in  order  to  teach 
us  our  dcpendance  upon  him,  and  to  let  us  know  that  we  are 
to  love  and  serve  him  ;  and  likewise  to  know  the  worth  of  the 
favours  that  we  receive  and  to  make  us  more  thankful.*' 
Was  not  this  one  of  tlie  great  ends  designed  by  a  gracious 
God,  in  leading  the  Israelites  through  the  wilderness  for  for- 
ty years — vide  Lowth's  Isaiah,  xli.  17,  &c. — vide  2Du  Pratz, 
172,  for  account  of  great  spirit.  "  Brother !  be  assured  that 
you  will  be  supplied  with  food  and  that  just  in  the  right  time  : 
but  you  must  continue  diligent  in  the  use  of  means — go  to  sleep 
and  rise  early  in  the  morning  and  go  a  hunting — be  strong 
and  exert  yourself  like  a  man,  aud  the  great  spirit  w  ill  direct 


2725  A    STAR   IS    THE    WEST. 

your  way."  The  next  morning,  Smith  rose  early  and  set  off. 
He  travelled  near  twelve  miles  and  ^^  as  just  despairing,  when 
lie  came  across  a  herd  of  buffaloes  and  killed  a  large  cow. 
He  loaded  himself  with  the  beef,  and  returned  to  his  camp 
and  found  his  patron,  late  in  the  evening  in  good  spirits  and 
humor.  The  old  Indian  tlianked  him  for  his  exertion  and 
commanded  his  son  to  cook  it — which  he  did,  but  eating  some, 
himself  almost  raw.  They  put  some  on  to  boil,  and  when 
Smith  was  hurrying  to  take  itoffliis  patron  calmly  said,  let  it 
be  done  enough,  as  if  he  had  not  wanted  a  meal.  He  pre- 
vented his  son  from  eating  but  a  little  at  a  time,  saying  it 
would  liurt  him,  but  that  he  might  sup  a  few  spoonsful  of  the 
broth.  AVhen  they  were  all  refreshed,  Tontileaugo  delivered 
a  speech  upon  the  necessity  and  pleasure  of  receiving  the  ne- 
cessary supports  of  life  with  thankfulness,  knowing  that  Oxva- 
necyo  is  the  great  giver.  Sometime  after  they  set  off  for 
home,  Tontileaugo  on  the  w^ay,  made  himself  a  sweat-house 
and  went  into  it,  and  put  himself  in  a  most  violent  perspira- 
tion for  about  fifteen  minutes,  singing  aloud.  This  he  did  in 
order  to  purify  himself  before  he  would  address  the  Supreme 
Being.  He  then  began  to  burn  tobacco  and  to  pray — ^He  be- 
gan each  petition  with  Oh !  Oh !  Oli !  Oh  ! — He  began  his 
address  in  tlie  following  manner. 

O  great  being  I  I  thank  thee  that  I  have  obtained  the  use 
of  my  legs  again — (he  had  been  ill  with  the  I'heumatism)  that 
I  am  now  able  to  walk  about  and  kill  turkeys,  &;c.  without 
feeling  exquisite  pain  and  misery.  I  know  that  thou  art  a 
hearer  and  a  lielper,  and  therefore  I  will  call  upon  tliee.  Oh, 
Oh,  Oh,  Oh  ! — ^grant  that  my  knees  and  ankles  may  be  right 
well,  and  tliat  I  may  be  able  not  only  to  walk,  but  to  run  and 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST*  278 

to  jump  logs,  as  I  did  last  fall.  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  grant 
that  on  this  voyage  we  may  frequently  kill  bears,  as  they 
may  be  cix)ssing  the  Sciota  and  Sandusky.  Oh !  Oh !  Oh ! 
Oh !  grant  that  rain  may  come  to  raise  the  Ollentangy  about 
two  or  three  feet>  tliat  we  may  cross  in  safety  down  to  Sciota> 
\vithout  danger  of  our  canoe  being  wrecked  on  the  rocks* 
And  now,  0  gixat  being  I  thou  knowest  how  matters  stand — • 
thou  knowest  that  I  am  a  great  lover  of  tobacco,  though  I 
know  not  when  I  may  ^Qi  any  more,  I  now  make  a  present  o£ 
t]»e  last  I  have  unto  thee,  as  a  free  burnt  offering;  therefore 
I  expect  thou  wilt  hear  and  grant  these  requests,  and  I  thy 
servant  will  return  thee  thanks  and  love  thee  for  thy  gifts." 

During  this  time  Smith  was  greatly  affected  with  his  pray- 
ers, until  he  came  to  the  burning  of  tlie  tobacco,  and  as  he 
knew  that  his  patron  was  a  great  lover  of  it,  when  he  saw 
him  cast  the  last  of  it  into  the  fire,  it  excited  in  him  a  kind  of 
meriment,  and  lie  insensibly  smiled.  The  Indian  observed 
him  laughing,  which  displeased  him  and  occasioned  the  follow- 
ing address — "  Brother ! — I  have  somewhat  to  say  to  you  and 
I  hope  you  will  not  be  offended,  when  I  tell  you  of  your  faults. 
You  know  that  when  you  were  reading  your  books  in  town,  I 
would  not  let  the  boys  or  any  one  disturb  you  5  but  now  when 
I  was  praying,  I  saw^  you  laughing*  I  do  not  think  tliat  you 
look  upon  praying  as  a  foolisli  thing.  I  believe  you  pray 
yourself.  But  perhaps  you  may  think  my  mode  or  mannci' 
of  praying,  foolish.  If  so  you  ought  in  a  friendly  manner  to 
instruct  me,  and  not  make  sport  of  sacred  thing?." 

Smith  acknowledged  his  error.    On  this  the  Indian  handed 

him  his  pipe  to  smoke  in  token  of  fiiendship,  though  lie  had 

nothing  to  smoke  but  red  willow  bark.     Smith  then  told  liim 
2  N 


27*  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

sometliing  of  the  method  of  reconciliation  witli  an  offended 
God,  as  revealed  in  his  biblcj  that  he  had  with  him.  The  In- 
dian said,  <<  that  he  liked  that  story  better  than  that  of  the 
French  priest's ;  but  that  he  thought  he  was  now  too  old  to 
begin  to  learn  a  new  religion  ;  he  should  therefore  continue  to 
worship  God  in  the  way  that  he  had  been  taught,  and  that  if 
future  happiness  was  to  be  had  in  his  way  of  worship,  he  ex- 
pected he  would  obtain  it ;  and  if  it  was  inconsistent  with  the 
honor  of  the  great  spirit  to  accept  of  him  in  his  own  way  of 
worship,  he  hoped  that  Owaneeyo  would  accept  of  him  in  the 
way  Smith  had  mentioned,  or  in  some  other  way,  though  he 
might  now  be  ignorant  of  the  channel  through  whicli  favour  or 
mercy  might  be  conveyed. — ^Page  54^,  55.  He  added,  that  he 
believed  that  Owaneetjo  w  ould  hear  and  help  every  one  who 
sincerely  waited  upon  him. 

Here  we  see,  notwithstanding  the  just  views  tliis  Indian 
entertained  of  Providence,  yet  though  he  acknowledged  his 
guilt,  he  expected  to  appease  the  deity  and  procure  his  favour 
by  burning  a  little  tobacco.  Thus  the  Indian  agreed  with 
revelation  in  this,  that  sacrifice  is  necessary,  or  that  some 
kind  of  atonement  is  to  be  made  in  order  to  remove  guilt 
and  reconcile  the  sinner  to  God.  This,  accompanied  with 
numberless  otlier  witnesses,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  the  scriptures." 

At  another  time  Tontileaugo  informed  him  that  there  were 
a  great  many  of  the  Caughnawagas  and  Wiandots,  a  kind  of 
half  Roman  Catholics ;  but  as  for  himself,  he  said,  that  the 
priest  and  he  could  not  agree;  as  the  priest  held  notions 
that  contradicted  both  sense  and  reason ;  and  had  the  assur- 
ance to  tell  him,  that  the  book  of  God  taught  them  those  fool- 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  273 

ish  absurdities ;  but  he  could  not  believe  tlie  great  and  good 
spirit  ever  taught  them  any  such  nonsense.  And  therefore 
he  concluded  that  the  Indian's  old  religion  was  better  than 
this  new  way  of  worshipping  God. 


A    STAH   IN   THE    WEST.  277 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Separation  of  the  Indian  Wamen» 

THE  last  remarkable  fact  to  be  mentioned  is,  the  constant 
practice  of  the  Indian  nations,  in  tlie  separation  of  their  wo- 
men, on  certain  occasions. 

The  southern  Indians  oblige  their  women,  in  their  lunar 
retreats,  to  build  small  huts,  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
their  dwelling  houses,  as  they  imagine  to  be  sufficient,  where 
they  are  obliged  to  stay,  at  the  risque  of  their  lives.  Sliould 
they  be  known  to  violate  this  ancient  law,  they  must  answer 
for  every  misfortune  that  the  people  should  meet  with. 

Among  the  Indians  on  tlie  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  the  con- 
duct of  tlie  women  seems  perfectly  agreeable  (as  far  as  cir- 
cumstances will  permit)  to  the  law  of  Moses. 

A  young  woman,  at  the  first  change  in  her  circumstances, 
immediately  separates  herself  from  the  rest,  in  a  hut  made  at 
some  distance  from  the  dwelling-houses,  and  remains  there, 
during  the  whole  time  of  her  malady,  or  seven  days.  The 
person  who  brings  her  victuals,  is  very  careful  not  to  touch 
her,  and  so  cautious  is  she  herself  of  touching  her  own  food 
with  her  hands,  that  she  makes  use  of  a  sliarpened  stick,  in- 
stead of  a  fork,  with  which  to  take  up  her  venison,  and  a  small 
ladle  or  spoon  for  her  other  food.  When  the  seven  days  are 
ended,  she  bathes  herself  in  water,  washes  all  her  clothes 
and  cleanses  the  vessels  she  has  made  use  of.     Such  as  are 


378  A   STAR  IN  THE   WEST. 

made  of  wood,  she  scalds  and  cleans  with  lye  made  of  wood 
ashes,  and  such  as  are  made  of  earth  or  iron,  she  purifies  by 
putting  into  the  fire.  She  then  returns  to  her  father's  house 
and  is  after  this  looked  upon  fit  for  marriage ;  but  not  before. 

A  Miiskoghe  woman,  delivered  of  a  child,  is  separated  in 
like  manner  for  three  moons,  or  eighty -four  days.  Crossweek- 
sung  (the  once  Indian  town  in  New-Jersey,)  signifies,  iJie 
house  of  separation. 

By  the  Levitical  Law,  a  woman  was  to  be  separated  and 
unclean  forty  days  for  a  man  diild,  and  eighty  days  for  a 
female  child ;  from  which  law  alone  it  appeal^  that  the  Indians 
could  have  adopted  this  extraordinary  custom,  as  they  must 
have  done  all  their  numerous  laws  of  purity— and  more  espe- 
cially as  some  of  the  nations  observe  the  like  distinction  be- 
tween male  and  female  children. 

The  young  women,  at  our  people's  first  coming  among 
them  were  very  modest  and  shame-faced— both  young  and 
old  women  would  be  highly  offended  at  indecent  expressions, 
unless  corrupted  by  drink :  They  were  very  neat  and  clean- 
ly except  in  some  instances  when  they  neglected  themselves. 
Smith  138. 


A   STAR   IX   THE   WEST.  279 


CHAPTER  XIL 


The  Cmiclusion, 

HAVING  thus  gone  throu.j?h  with  a  collection  of  facts,  that 
has  taken  much  time,  great  attention  and  strict  enquiry,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  writer  from  being  deceived  himself;  or 
his  being  the  innocent  cause  of  deceiving  othei-s ;  he  is  now 
brouglit  to  draw  some  conclusions  from  the  whole  taken  togeth- 
er. On  a  subject  like  this,  where  there  is  so  much  to  hope, 
and  so  much  to  fear,  he  would  use  great  modesty  and  diffi- 
dence. He  would  avoid  all  dogmatical  assertions,  or  unrea- 
sonable confidence  in  any  thing  that  he  has  collected,  or  any 
observations  he  has  made,  as  he  considers  this  a  subject  for 
the  exercise  of  wisdom,  research,  enquiry  and  mature  reflec- 
tion. But  nevertheless,  while  he  uses  every  necessary  pre- 
caution, and  wishes  peifcct  freedom  of  inquiry  on  the  best 
evidence,  yet  he  earnestly  solicits  tlie  reader  to  keep  in  mind 
that  his  principal  design,  in  these  his  labours,  has  been  to  in- 
vite and  tempt  the  learned  and  the  industrious,  as  far  as  they 
can  obtain  opportunities,  to  enquire  further  into  this  impor- 
tant and  useful  subject.  What  could  possibly  bring  greater 
declarative  glory  to  God,  or  tend  more  essentially  to  affect 
and  rouse  the  nations  of  the  earth,  with  a  deeper  sense  of  the 
certainty  of  the  prophetic  declarations  of  the  holy  scriptures, 
and  thus  call  their  attention  to  the  truth  of  diNine  revelation. 


280  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

than  a  full  discovery,  that  these  wandering  nations  of  Indians 
are  the  long  lost  tribes  of  Israel ;  but  kept  under  the  special 
protection  of  Almighty  God,  though  despised  by  all  mankind^ 
for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  separated  from  and  unknown 
to  the  civilized  world  ?  Thus  wonderfully  brought  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  their  fellow  men,  they  may  be  miraculously  prepared 
for  instruction,  and  stand  ready,  at  the  appointed  time,  when 
God  shall  raise  the  signal  to  the  nations  of  Europe,  to  be  res- 
tored to  the  land  and  country  of  their  fathers,  and  to  Mount 
Zion  the  city  of  David,  their  great  king  and  head,  and  this  in 
direct,  positive  and  literal  fulfilment  of  the  numerous  promises 
of  tlie  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  their  pious  progeni- 
tors and  founders,  near  four  thousand  years  agx). 

^yould  not  such  an  event  be  the  most  ample  mean  of  pub- 
lishing the  all  important  fiicts  of  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  thereby  lead  all  men 
to  the  acknowledgment,  that  the  God  of  Israel,  is  a  God  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  and  that  whom  he  loves,  he  loves  unto  the 
end  ?  They  would  be  convinced  that  his  all  seeing  eye  had 
been  open  upon  them  in  alltlieir  wanderings;  under  all  their 
suffering,  and  that  he  had  never  forsaken  tliem  ;  but  had  shewn 
his  watcliful  providence  over  them,  and  that  in  the  latter  day, 
"  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house 
shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be 
exalted  above  the  hills ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it 
And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  come  ye,  let  us  go  up  to 
the  mountain  of  the  Lord ;  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob  *, 
and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths : 
for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the 
Laid  from  Jerusalem.'* — Isaiah  ii.  chap.  1,  3. 


A    STAR    IN    TJIE    WEST.  281 

St.  Paul  certainly  entertained  some  such  views  of  this  ex- 
traordinary event,  wlien  he  so  pathetically  sets  forth  this  glo- 
rious issue  of  the  providence  of  God. — Speaking  of  Israel, 
« I  say  tiicn,  have  they  stumhlcd,  tliat  tlicy  sliould  fall  ?  God 
forbid,  hut  ratlier,  througli  their  fall,  salvation  is  come  unto 
tlic  gentiles  to  provoke  them  to  jealousy.  Now  if  the  fall  of 
them  he  the  riches  of  the  world,  and  the  diminishing  of  them, 
the  riches  of  the  gentiles,  how  much  more  their  fulness.  For 
if  the  casting  away  of  them,  he  tlie  reconciling  of  the  world, 
whatsJiaU  the  receiving  oftJiein  be,  hut  life  from  the  dead.^'^^ 

The  writer  will  not  determine  with  any  degree  of  positive- 
ness  on  the  fact,  tliat  tliese  aborigines  of  our  country  are,  past 
all  doubt,  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  as  he  wishes  to  leave  eve- 
ry man  to  draw  the  conclusion  from  the  facts  themselves. 
But  he  thinks  he  may  without  impeachment  of  his  integrity 
or  prudence,  or  any  charge  of  over  credulity,  say,  that  were 
a  people  to  be  found,  with  demonstrative  evidence  that  their 
descent  was  from  Jacob,  it  could  hardly  be  expected,  at  this 
time,  that  their  languages,  manners,  customs  and  habits,  with 
tlieir  religious  rites,  should  discover  greater  similarity  to  those 
of  the  ancient  Jews  and  of  their  divine  law,  without  superna- 
tural revelation,  or  some  miraculous  interposition,  than  the 
present  nations  of  American  Indians  have  done,  and  still  do, 
to  every  industrious  and  intelligent  enquirer. 

This  is  not  the  first  time,  that  the  idea  has  been  advanced, 
of  the  possibility  of  these  tribes  emigrating  to  America,  over 
the  straits  of  Kamschatka,  and  preserving  tlie  indelible  marks 
of  the  children  of  Abraham,  as  has  been  already  shewn  in  tine 

*  Kom.chap.  xi.  II,  15. 

5^0 


282  A   STAK  IN    THE   AVEST, 

foregoing  pages.  In  addition  to  which,  many  of  the  first  Eu- 
ropean visitants,  in  a  very  early  day,  drew  this  conclusion 
from  personal  observation,  of  the  then  agj^earance  of  things 
and  persons.  Mons.  De  Guignes,  who  w^rotc  so  long  ago,  in 
one  of  his  mcmcars,  speaking  of  the  discoveries  made  of  Amer- 
ica, before  the  time  of  Columbus,  says,  "these  researches, 
which  of  themselves  give  us  great  insight  into  the  origin  of 
the  Americans,  leads  to  the  determination  of  the  route  of  tlie 
colonies  sent  to  the  continent.  He  thinks  the  greater  part  of 
them  passed  thither  by  the  most  eastern  extremities  of  Asia, 
where  the  two  continents  are  only  separated  by  a  narrow 
strait,  easy  to  cross.  He  reports  instances  of  women,  who 
from  Canada  and  Florida,  have  travelled  to  Tartary  without 
seeing  the  ocean."  In  this  case  they  must  have  passed  the 
straits  on  the  ice. 

Let  the  foregoing  facts,  collected  in  these  pages,  however 
imperfectly  and  immethodically  put  together  by  one  whose 
means  of  knowledge  have  been  very  scanty,  be  impartially 
examined  without  prejudice,  and  w^eighed  in  the  scale  of  testi- 
mony, compared  with  the  language,  customs,  manners,  habits, 
religious  prejudices  and  special  traditions  of  the  Hebrews, 
especially  under  the  impression  of  their  being  related  and  con- 
firmed by  so  many  authors,  separated  by  birth,  national  maib- 
ners,  distance  of  time,  strong  prejudices,  religious  jealousies, 
various  means  of  knowledge  and  different  modes  of  communi- 
cating the  facts,  fi'om  Christopher  Columbus,  of  glorious  mem- 
ory, and  first  discoverer  of  America,  down  to  Mr.  Adair,  who 
lived  with  them  in  social  intercourse  and  great  intimacy  for 
more  than  forty  years,  and  ISIr.  M'Kenzic,  a  traveller  of  a 
late  day,  but  the  first  who  crossed  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 


A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  2S3 

Bouthern  ocean — Portuguese,  Spaniards,  English,  Frencli, 
Jew  and  Christian,  men  of  learning — plain,  illiterate  travellers 
and  sea-faring  men,  all — all  comhining,  without  acquain- 
tance or  knowledge  of  each  other,  to  establish  the  material 
facts,  sucli  as  they  arc.  Is  it  possible  that  tlie  languages  of 
«o  many  hundred  nations  of  apparent  savages,  scattered  over 
a  territory  of  some  thousands  of  miles  in  extent,  living  exclud- 
ed from  all  civilized  society,  without  grammar,  letters,  arts  or 
sciences,  for  two  thousand  years,  should,  by  mere  accident,  bo 
so  remarkable  for  peculiarities,  known  in  no  other  language, 
but  the  HebrcAv — using  the  same  words  to  signify  the  same 
things — having  towns  and  places  of  the  same  name  ? 

A  gentleman  of  the  first  character  of  the  city  of  New- York, 
well  acquainted  with  the  Indians  in  that  state  from  his  childhood, 
assured  the  writer  of  this,  that  when  with  them  at  a  place  call- 
ed Cohock  or  Oxvlflai,  now  degeneratwl  to  Cook-house,  yet  well 
known,  they  shewed  him  a  mountain  to  the  west,  very  high, 
and  that  appeared  from  Cohock,  much  as  the  Neversinks  do 
from  the  sea,  at  first  approaching  the  American  coast,  and 
told  him  the  Indians  called  it  Ararat 

Is  there  no  weight  of  evidence,  in  finding  peculiar  customs 
among  the  Indians,  of  the  same  import  as  those  enjoined  on 
tlie  ancient  people  of  God,  and  held  sacred  by  both  ?  Or  in 
each  people  having  three  sacred  feasts,  religiously  attended 
every  yeai*,  with  peculiar  and  similar  rites  and  dress,  to  which 
the  males  only  should  be  admitted,  and  these  held  at  certain 
periods  and  at  one  special  place  of  worship  in  a  nation,  and 
conforming,  with  astonishing  precision,  to  each  other,  while 
the  women  were  wholly  excluded  by  both  people,  and  partic- 
tilarly  that  connected  with  one  of  them,  each  people  should 


^8*  A   STAR   IN   THE   WEST. 

have  anotlier  of  a  very  singular  and  extraordinary  nature  in 
the  evening,  being  in  part  a  sacrifice,  in  which  not  a  bone  of 
the  animal,  provided  for  the  occasion,  should  be  broken,  nor  a 
certain  part  of  the  thigh  eaten — that  if  a  family  were  not  suf- 
ficient to  eat  the  whole,  a  neighbour  might  be  called  in  to  par- 
take with  them ;  and  if  any  should  be  still  left  it  must  religious- 
ly be  burned  in  the  fire  before  the  rising  of  the  next  sun* 
That  their  houses  and  temple,  at  one  of  these  feasts,  were  to 
be  swept  with  the  greatest  care,  and  searched  in  every  part, 
with  religious  scrupulosity,  that  no  unhallowed  thing  should 
remain  iinconsumed  by  fire.  And  that  the  altars  for  tlie  sac- 
rifices were  to  be  built  of  unhewn  stone,  or  on  stones  on  which 
a  tool  had  not  been  suffered  to  come.  That  the  entrails  and 
fat  of  the  sacrifice,  were  to  be  burned  on  the  altar,  and  the 
body  of  the  animal  only  to  be  eaten  ?  When  all  these  are  com- 
pared with  the  Hebrew  divine  law,  given  by  God  himself 
from  heaven,  we  find  every  article  rigidly  commanded  and 
enforced  by  sovereign  autliority. 

Then  examine  their  other  religious  feasts  of  different  kinds, 
and  reflect  on  their  conformity,  in  a  surprising  manner,  in 
limes,  causes  and  effects,  to  the  Hebrew  rites  and  ceremonies, 
and  what  rational  man,  of  sound  judgment,  but  must,  at  least 
acknowledge,  that  there  is  great  encouragement  to  the  inqui- 
sitive mind,  to  proceed  farther,  and  make  these  people  the 
subject  of  attentive  and  unwearied  inquiry.  Add  to  all  this, 
their  general  appearance — their  customs  and  manners  in  pri- 
vate life— their  com.munion  with  each  other — their  ceremo- 
nies and  practices  in  society — their  common  religious  and 
moral  observations—- their  belief  in  a  future  state^ — ►their  reli- 
gious observation  of  and  most  sacred  rcsped;  to  an  ark   in 


A    ST  AH   IN    THE    WEST.  SSB 

going  to  war,  and  even  their  cruelties  and  barbarous  customs 
in  the  treatment  of  their  enemies,  and  ought  they  not  to  be  in- 
phided  in  the  enumeration. 

The  strong  bearings  that  many  of  the  foregoing  traditions 
have  on  tlieir  origin  and  descent — their  manner  of  coming  into 
this  country  and  their  future  expectations,  being  so  very  sim- 
ilar to  the  experience  of  the  Jews  in  their  exodus  fmm  Egypt, 
should  not  be  left  out  of  the  scale  of  testimony. 

Can  it  be  probable — nay,  if  we  judge  from  past  experience, 
may  we  not  ask  with  propriety,  can  it  be  possible,  unless  a 
miracle  is  acknowledged,  tliat  so  many  Indian  words  should  be 
purely  Hebrew,  and  the  construction  of  what  little  Ave  know 
of  their  language,  founded  on  the  same  principles,  if  there 
never  had  been  any  intercommunion  between  the  two  people  ? 

There  can  be  but  little  doubt,  were  their  language  well 
known  to  the  learned  in  Europe  and  America,  but  that  many 
more  important  discoveries  miglit  be  made,  convincing  to  every 
judicious  mind,  that  now  lie  ih  utter  oblivion. 

Let  it  now  be  asked — 

What,  then,  is  tlie  use  that  should  be  made  of  the  facts  that 
are  thus  brought  to  light,  partial  as  they  arc  ?  It  is  answered, 

Ouglit  not  the  nations  of  Europe  and  America  to  make  a 
solemn  pause,  and  consider  the  Je\A  s,  <«  now  scattered  and 
peeled,  and  expecting  their  Messiah,"  to  use  the  phraseology 
of  the  bible,  in  a  very  different  point  of  light,  from  that  in 
wliich  it  has  been  customary  to  consider  them  ?  This  has  been 
dark  indeed.  They  have  been  treated  by  the  civilized  na- 
tions as  the  offscouring  of  the  earth — despised,  contemned  and 
persecuted — abused,  reviled,  and  cliarged  with  the  most  abom- 
inable crimes,  without  evidence,  unheard,  and  contrary  to  all 


286  A   STAH   IN   THE  WEST. 

probability.  Nay,  tliey  have  been  treated  like  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  forest — have  been  proscribed,  banished,  murdered,  or 
driven  from  one  nation  to  another,  but  found  safety  in  none. 
It  is  asserted  by  the  best  writers,  that  after  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  in  the  time  of  Domitian,  multitudes  of  Jews  who 
had  survived  the  sad  catastrophe  of  the  destruction  of  their 
city  and  temple,  sought  an  asylum  in  various  parts  of  the 
world.  Many  retired  into  Egypt,  where  a  Jewish  colony  had 
resided  from  the  time  of  Alexander — others  fled  to  Cyrene — 
a  large  number  removed  to  Babylon,  and  joined  their  bretli- 
ren,  who  had  remained  in  that  country  ever  since  the  captiv- 
ity— some  took  refuge  in  Persia,  and  other  eastern  countries. 
They  became  divided  into  eastern  and  western  Jews.  The 
western  included  Egypt,  Judea,  Italy,  and  other  parts  of  the 
Roman  empire.  The  eastern  were  settled  in  Babylon,  Clial- 
dea,  Assyria  and  Persia.  This  was  about  the  second  cen- 
tury ;  but  previous  to  the  destruction  of  the  temple,  those  Jews 
who  resided  in  the  eastern  countries,  sent  presents  to  Jeru- 
salem ;  repaired  thither  from  time  to  time  to  pay  their  devo- 
tions, and  acknowledge  the  supreme  autliority  of  the  high- 
priest.  But  after  the  ruin  of  their  country,  having  no  longer 
any  bond  of  unity,  which  had  before  been  formed  by  the  high- 
priests  and  the  temple,  tliey  elevated  cliiefs  to  preside  over 
them,  wliom  they  styled  princes  of  the  captivity. — Mod.  Univ. 
Hist.  vol.  13,  page  156. 

In  the  year  130,  Adrian,  the  Roman  emperor,  having  pro- 
voked the  Jews  almost  to  madness  and  desperation,  they  took 
arms,  headed  by  one  Coziba,  who  took  tlie  name  of  Barelio- 
ehebas,  which  signifies  the  son  of  a  star,  pretending  to  be  the 
one  prophesied  of  in  that  declaration  of  Balaam,  "  there  shall 


A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST.  2«7 

come  a  star  out  of  Jacob,"  &c.  After  various  and  great  suc- 
cesses, he  was  defeated  and  killed,  and  the  town  of  Either, 
where  he  had  taken  refuge,  obliged  to  surrender.  There  were 
slain  in  battle  five  hundred  and  eighty  thousand,  besides  a  vast 
number,  wiio  perished  by  sickness,  fire,  famine,  and  other 
calamities.  Vast  numbers  were  exposed  to  sale  at  the  fair  of 
Terebintliy  at  the  price  of  horses,  and  dispersed  over  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

In  the  year  1039,  the  sultan  Gala  Doullat,  resolved  to  ex- 
tirpate the  Jews.  For  this  purpose  he  shut  up  their  acade- 
mies, banished  their  professors,  and  slew  the  prince  of  the 
captivity,  with  his  family.  This  persecution  dispersed  many 
into  the  desarts  of  Arabia,  whilst  others  souglit  an  asylum  in 
the  west,  Benjamin,  of  Tudela,  found  a  prince  of  the  cap- 
tivity in  Persia,  in  the  twelfth  century. 

In  the  time  of  the  Crusaders,  fifteen  hundred  were  burnt 
at  Strasburgh,  and  thirteen  hundred  at  Mayence.  According 
to  the  Jewish  historians,  five  thousand,  (but  according  to  the 
christian  writers,  the  number  was  tliree  times  greater)  were 
either  slaughtered  or  drowned. 

It  is  also  said,  that  upwards  of  twelve  thousand  were  slain 
in  Batavia.  In  the  year  1238,  during  the  reign  of  St.  Louis, 
of  France,  two  thousand  five  hundred  were  put  to  death  by 
the  most  cruel  tortures. 

In  1240,  the  celebrated  council  of  Lyons  passed  a  decree, 
enjoining  all  christian  princes  who  had  Jews  in  their  domin- 
ions, under  penalty  of  excommunication,  to  compel  them  ta 
refund  to  the  crusaders  all  the  money  they  had  obtained  by 
usury.  This  oppressed  people  were  also  prohibited  from  de- 
manding any  debts  due  to  them  from  the  crusaders  till  their 
return. 


288  A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

Ill  the  time  of  Ferdinand,  of  Spain,  and  Pope  Sixtus,  the 
fourth,  two  thousand  were  put  to  death  by  the  Inquisition.  In 
14^92,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  banished  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand Jews  from  Spain. 

In  13i9,  a  set  of  enthusiastic  Catholics,  called  Flagellanti, 
incensed  the  populace  against  the  Jews  at  ^letz,  and  slew 
twelve  thousand  of  them — set  lire  to  their  houses,  which  were 
destroyed,  with  part  of  the  town. — Basnage,  686. 

But  as  it  may  tend  to  greater  certainty,  and  really  so  fully 
confirms  what  is  suggested  in  holy  writ,  the  following  quota- 
tion from  a  Jewish  author,  complaining  of  their  hard  treat- 
ment, though  long,  will  be  excused.  It  is  taken  from  a  work 
entitled  "  An  Appeal  to  the  justice  of  kings  and  nations," 
cited  in  the  transactions  of  the  Parisian  Sanhedrim,  page  64^, 
and  mentioned  by  Mr.  Faber  in  his  work  on  the  prophecies. 
^Vol.  iii,  5B,  58. 

"  Soon  after  the  establisliment  of  Christianity,  the  Jewish 
nation,  dispersed  since  the  second  destruction  of  its  temple, 
had  totally  disappeared.  By  the  light  of  tlie  flames,  which 
devoured  the  monuments  of  its  ancient  splendour,  the  con- 
querors beheld  a  million  of  victims  dead,  or  expiring  on  their 
ruins. 

<«  The  hatred  of  the  enemies  of  that  unfortunate  nation 
raged  longer  than  the  fire  wiiich  had  consumed  its  temple : 
active  and  relentless,  it  still  pursues  and  oppresses  them  in 
every  part  of  the  globe,  over  which  they  aiT<  scattered.  Their 
persecutors  delight  in  their  torments  too  much  to  seal  their 
doom  by  a  general  decree  of  proscription,  which  at  once  would 
put  an  end  to  their  burthensome  and  painful  existence.  It 
seems  as  if  thev  were  allowed  to  survive  the  destruction  of 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST.  289 

their  country,  only  to  sec  the  most  odious  and  calumnious  im- 
putations laid  to  their  cliarge,  to  stand  as  the  constant  ohject 
of  the  grossest  and  most  shocking  injustice,  as  a  mark  for  the 
insulting  finger  of  scorn,  as  a  sport  to  the  most  inveterate 
hatred ;  it  seems  as  if  their  doom  was  incessantly  to  suit  all 
the  dark  and  hloody  purposes  which  can  be  suggested  by  hu- 
man malignity,  supported  by  ignorance  and  fanaticism. — > 
"Weighed  down  by  taxes,  and  forced  to  contribute,  more  than 
christians,  for  the  support  of  society,  they  had  hardly  any  of 
the  rights  that  it  gives.  If  a  destructive  scourge  happened 
to  spread  havoc  among  the  inhabitants  of  a  country,  the  Jews 
had  poisoned  the  springs ;  or  these  men  cursed  by  heaven, 
had,  nevertheless,  incensed  it  by  their  prayers  against  the 
nation,  which  they  were  supposed  to  hate.  Did  sovereigns 
want  pecuniary  assistance  to  carry  on  their  wars  ?  The  Jews 
were  compelled  to  give  up  those  riches,  in  which  they  sought 
some  consolation  against  the  oppressing  sense  of  their  abject 
condition  :  as  a  reward  for  their  sacrifices,  they  were  expelled 
from  the  state,  which  they  had  supported ;  and  were  after- 
wards recalled  to  be  stript  again.  Compelled  to  wear  exte- 
riorily  the  badges  of  their  abject  state,  they  were  every  where 
exposed  to  the  insults  of  the  vilest  populace. 

^'  When,  from  his  solitary  retreat,  an  enthusiastic  hermit 
preached  the  crusades  to  the  nations  of  Europe,  and  a  part  of 
its  inhabitants  left  their  country  to  moisten  with  their  blood 
the  plains  of  Palestine,  the  knell  of  promiscuous  massacre 
tolled  before  the  alarm-bell  of  war.  Millions  of  Jews  were 
then  murdered  to  glut  the  pious  rage  of  the  crusaders.  It  was 
by  tearing  the  entrails  of  their  brethren  that  these  warriors 

sought  to  deserve  the  protection  of  heaven.     Skulls  of  mett 
2  P 


390  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

and  bleeding  hearts  were  offered  as  liolo  causts  on  the  altars  of 
that  God,  who  lias  no  pleasure  even  in  the  blood  of  the  inno- 
cent lamb ;  and  ministers  of  peace  were  thrown  into  an  holy 
enthusiasm  by  these  bloody  sacrifices.  It  is  thus  that  Basils 
Treves^  Coblentz  and  Cologiiy  became  human  shambles.  It 
is  thus  that  upwards  of  four  hundred  thousand  victims,  of  all 
ages,  and  of  both  sexes,  lost  their  lives  at  Alexandria  and 
Cesaria.  And  is  it,  after  having  experienced  siich  treatment, 
that  they  are  reproached  with  tlieir  vices  ?  Is  it,  after  being 
for  eighteen  centuries  the  sport  of  contempt,  that  they  are  re- 
proached with  being  no  longer  alive  to  it  ?  Is  it,^  after  having 
so  often  glutted  with  their  blood  the  tliirst  of  their  persecutors, 
that  they  are  held  out  as  enemies  to  other  nations  I  Is  it,  that 
when  they  have  been  bereft  of  all  means  to  mollify  the  hearts 
of  their  tyrants,  that  indignation  is  roused,  if  now  and  then 
tliey  cast  a  mournful  look  towards  the  ruins  of  their  temple, 
towards  their  country,  where  formerly  happiness  crowned 
their  peaceful  days,  free  from  the  cares  of  ambition  and 
riches  ?** 

«  By  what  crimes,  have  we,  then,  deserved  this  furious  in- 
tolerance ?  What  is  our  guilt  ?  Is  it  in  that  generous  constan- 
cy which  we  have  manifested  in  defending  the  laws  of  our 
fathers  ?  But  this  constancy  ought  to  have  entitled  us  to  the 
admiration  of  all  nations,  and  it  has  only  sharpened  against  ns 
the  daggers  (^  persecution.  Bi'aving  all  kinds  of  torments, 
the  pangs  of  death,  the  still  more  terrible  pangs  of  life,  we 
alone  have  v/ithstood  the  impetuous  torrent  of  time,  sweeping 
indiscriminately  in  its  course,  nations,  i^ligions  and  countries. 
What  is  become  of  those  celebrated  empires,  whose  very  name 
stiE  excites  our  admiration  by  the  ideas  of  splendid  greatness 


A    STAR   IN   THE   WEST,  29Jl 

attached  to  them,  and  whose  power  embraced  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  known  globe  ?  They  are  only  remembered  as  mon- 
uments of  the  vanity  of  human  greatness.  Rome  and  Greece 
are  no  more ;  their  descendants,  mixed  with  other  nations, 
have  lost  even  the  traces  of  their  origin ;  while  a  population 
of  a  few  millions  of  men,  so  often  subjugated,  stands  the  test 
of  thirty  revolving  centuries,  and  the  fiery  orxleal  of  fifteen 
centuries  of  persecution  !  We  still  preserve  laws,  which  were 
given  to  us  in  the  first  days  of  the  world,  in  the  infancy  of  na- 
ture !  The  last  followers  of  a  religion  which  had  embraced  the 
universe,  have  disappeared  these  fifteen  centuries,  and  mir 
iemples  are  dill  standing  /  We  alone  liave  been  spared  by  the 
indiscrimiiiating  hand  of  time,  like  a  -column  left  standing 
amidst  the  wreck  of  worlds  and  the  ruin  of  nature.^' 

While  this  picture  gives  another  awful  trait  of  the  human 
character^  and  proves  the  degenerate  state  (^  man  in  his  best 
natural  state,  and  interests  every  feeling  heart  in  the  suffer- 
ings of  this  remarkable  people.  It  also  holds  up,  in  a  striking 
view,  the  threatnings  of  God's  word  and  the  literal  fulfilment 
of  them. — It  further  shews,  in  the  most  unanswerable  manner, 
the  Jews  themselves  being  both  witnesses  and  judges,  the 
truth  of  the  divine  scriptures,  and  their  strange  blindness,  un- 
til the  end  shall  come,  and  the  veil  shall  be  taken  from  theii 
eyes. 

Christians  ai^e  assured  by  unerring  truth,  that  it  has  been 
the  obstinacy  and  idolatry  of  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Israel, 
that  have  thus  caused  the  anger  of  the  Almighty  to  be  enkind- 

*  Flad  the  Indians  a  fjilthful  historian  to  write  in  their  hehalf,  ivhen  tlieir  cruel- 
ties in  battle  were  recorded  in  their  worst  colours,  nnght  they  not  refer  to  the 
facts  set  forth  in  the  few  foregoing  pages,  and  point  to  them  as  a  contrast  to  tlicir 
ooRduct,  and  say,  behold  these  wpie  your  civilized  nation? 


^92  A   STAR   IN   THE   >VEST. 

led  against  them,  added  to  the  awfid  invocation  of  Jadah,  that 
the  blood  of  the  Messiah,  might  rest  on  them  and  their  child- 
ren. Yet  in  tlic  end,  God  will  call  their  oppressors  to  a  se- 
vere account  for  the  uncliristian  manner  in  which  they  have 
carried  the  divine  judgments  into  execution.  Little  of  it  has 
been  done  for  the  glory  of  God.  Moses  did  solemnly  fore- 
warn the  Jews,  that  all  this  would  be  the  consequence  of  diso- 
bedience to  the  laws  and  statutes  of  Jehovah,  and  that  at  the 
very  time  that  he  encouraged  them  with  a  certainty  of  his 
special  favours,  in  case  of  their  obedience.  The  inspired  lan- 
guage is  exceedingly  strong.  *^  And  it  sliall  come  to  pass,  if 
thou  shalt  hearken  diligently  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  to  observe  and  do  all  his  commandments  which  I  com- 
mand thee  this  day,  that  the  Lord  thy  God  will  set  thee  on 
high  above  all  nations  of  the  earth,  and  all  those  blessings 
(before  enumerated)  shall  come  upon  thee."  "  But  it  shall 
(also J  come  to  'pass,  if  thou  wilt  not  hearken  unto  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  thy  God  to  observe  and  do  all  his  commandments 
and  his  statutes,  which  I  command  thee  this  day,  that  all  tliose 
curses  shall  overtake  thee.  Cursed  shalt  thou  be  in  the  city, 
and  cursed  shalt  thou  be  in  the  field.'* — ^Deut.  xxviii.  1,  2,  15, 
16.  The  Lord  shall  bring  thee  and  thy  king  into  a  nation, 
which  neither  thou  nor  thy  fathers  have  known,  and  tliere 
shalt  thou  serve  other  Gods,  wood  and  stone.  And  tliou  shalt 
become  an  astonishment,  a  proverb  and  a  bye-word  among 
all  nations,  whitlicr  the  Lord  shall  lead  thee.'* — Ibid  36,  57, 
^*  And  they  sliall  be  upon  thee  for  a  sign  and  a  wonder  and 
upon  thy  seedjorcver,'^  (or  for  ages.) — Ibid  46.  And  thou  shalt 
serve  thine  enemies,  w  hicli  the  Lord  shall  send  against  thee, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  and  in  nakedness^  and  in  ivant  of  all  things. 


A    STAR   IN    THE    >VEST.  295 

And  he  shall  put  a  yoke  of  iron  upon  thy  neck  until  he  hath 
destroyed  thee." — Ihid  48.  « If  thou  wilt  not  ohscrve  to  do 
all  the  words  of  this  law,  that  are  written  in  this  hook  that  tliou 
mayest  fear,  this  glorious  and  fearful  name,  the  Lord  thy  GoiU^ 
—Ibid  58.  "  And  the  Loid  shall  scatter  thee  among  all  peo- 
ple, from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other." — Ihid  6i^.  And 
among  these  nations  thou  shalt  find  no  case,  neither  shalt  the 
sole  of  thy  foot  have  rest,  but  the  Lord  shalt  give  thee  a  trem- 
bling of  heart  and  failirig  of  eyes  and  sorrow  of  mind." — Ibid 
6h,  «  And  thy  life  shall  hang  in  doubt  before  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  fear  day  and  night,  and  slialt  have  none  assurance  of 
thy  life."  <<  And  it  shalt  come  to  pass,  wlicn  ail  these  things 
are  come  upon  thee,  the  blessing  and  the  curse,  which  I  have 
set  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  call  them  to  mind,  among  all 
the  nations  whither  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  driven  thee,  and 
shalt  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  obey  his  voice 
according  to  all  that  I  command  tliee  this  day,  thou  and  thy 
children,  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul,  that  then 
the  Lord  thy  God  will  turn  thy  captivity  and  have  compas- 
sion upon  thee  and  will  return  and  gather  thee  from  all  the 
nations,  whither  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  scattered  thee.  If 
any  of  tinne  he  dnven  out  unto  the  uitermcst  parts  of  hewvenp 
from  thence  will  tlie  Lord  thy  God  gather  thee,  and  from 
thence  will  he  fetch  thee.  And  the  Lord  tliy  God  will  bring 
thee  unto  the  land  which  thy  fathers  possessed,  and  thou  shalt 
possess  it,  and  he  will  do  thee  good,  and  multiply  thee  above 
thy  fathers.  And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  circumcise  thine 
heai-t  and  the  hearts  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  tliy  God, 
with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all  tliy  soul,  that  thou  may  est 
live.     And  the  Lord  tiiy  God  will  put  all  these  curses  uvoa 


22i  A   STAR  IN   THE   WEST. 

thine  enemies,  and  on  them  who  hate  Hue,  who  persecuted  thee. 
And  thou  shalt  return,  and  ohey  the  voice  of  the  L6rd  thy 
God  and  do  all  his  commandments,  which  I  command  thee 
this  day." — Ibid  xxx.  1,  8.  Thus  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of 
the  scvei^st  judgments  remembered  mercy  for  the  descendants 
of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob :  and  these  great  encourage^ 
ments  to  obedience,  he  frequently  repeated  by  his  prophets, 
from  time  to  time,  as  in  Isaiah — *«For  Jehovah  will  have 
compassion  on  Jacob  and  will  yet  choose  Israel,  And  he  will 
give  them  rest  upon  their  own  land — and  the  stranger  shall 
be  joined  to  them  and  cleave  unto  the  house  of  Jacob.  And 
the  nations  shall  take  them  and  bring  them  in  their  own 
place ;  and  the  house  of  Jacob  shall  possess  them  into  the  land 
of  Jehovah,  as  servants  and  as  handmaids ;  and  theyshdll  take 
them  captive,  whose  captives  they  were,  and  they  shall  rule 
over  their  oppressors." — Lowth  xiv.  1,  2. 

^  Ho !  land  spreading  wide  the  shadow  of  thy  wings,* 
xvhieh  art  beyond  the  rivers  of  Cush,  accustomed  to  send  mes- 
sengers by  sea,  even  in  bulrush  vessels,  upon  the  surface  of 
the  waters — Go!  swift  messengers  unto  a  nation  dragged 
away  and  plucked ;  unto  a  people  wonderful  from  the  begin- 
ning hitherto." — Chap,  xviii.  1, 3.  "  At  that  season  a  present 
shall  be  led  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  a  people  dragged  away  and 

♦  The  translation  of  these  verses,  is  taken  from  Mn  Faber,  who  quotes  Bishop 
Horsley,  in  saying,  "  the  shadow  of  wings  is  a  very  usual  image  in  prophetic  lan- 
guage, for  the  protection  afforded  by  the  stronger,  to  the  weaR.  God's  protec- 
tion of  his  servants  is  described  by  their  being  safe  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings. 
And  in  this  passage,  the  broad  shadowing  wings  may  be  intended  to  characterise 
some  great  people,  who  shall  be  famous  for  tlie  protection  they  shall  give  to  those 
vhom  they  received  into  their  alliance."  "  It  is  not  impossible  hoM'ever,  and  cer- 
tainly not  incongruous  with  the  figurative  language  of  prophecy,  that  since  the 
inessei>gcrs  described  in  this  prediction,  are  plainly  a  maritime  nation,  the  shadowy 
vjngs  here  spoken  of  may  mean  the  sails  of  their  ships." 


A   STAR   IN   THE    WEST.  29'3 

plucked,  even  of  a  people  wonderful  from  the  beginning  hither- 
to ;  a  nation  expecting,  expecting,  and  trampled  under  foot, 
whose  land  rivers  have  spoiled,  unto  the  place  of  the  name  of 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  Mount  Zion."— -Ibid  7.  "  For  behold  Je- 
hovah shall  come  as  a  fire ;  and  bis  chariot  as  a  whirlwind ; 
to  breatlte  forth  his  anger  in  a  burning  heat,  and  his  rebuke 
in  flames  of  fire.  For  by  fire  shall  Jeliovah  execute  judgment, 
and  by  his  sword  upon  all  flesh ;  and  many  shall  be  the  slain 
of  Jehovah." — Ibid  Ixvi.  15, 16.  Again  in  Jeremiah  the  sub- 
ject is  taken  np.  ''  For  lo !  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord, 
that  I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  my  people  Israel  and 
Judah,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the  land  tliat  I  gave 
to  their  fathers  and  they  sliall  possess  it.''— Jerem,  xxx.  S-. 
<«  Therefore  fear  thou  not  0  my  servant  Jacob,  saith  the  Lord, 
neither  be  dismayed  0  Israel,  for  lo !  I  will  save  thee  from 
afar,  and  thy  seed  from  the  land  of  their  captivity ;  and  Jacob 
shall  return  and  shall  be  in  rest  aiid  be  quiet  and  none  shall 
make  him  afraid.  For  I  am  with  thee  saith  the  Lord,  to  save 
thee ;  though  I  make  a  full  end  of  all  the  nations  whither  I 
have  scattered  thee ;  yet  will  I  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee ; 
but  I  will  correct  thee  in  measure,  and  will  not  leave  thee 
altogether  unpunished."  «  Therefore  all  they  who  dcrour  thee 
shall  he  devoured,  and  all  thine  adversaries,  every  one  of  tlmn, 
shall  go  into  captivity ;  and  they  who  spoil  thee,  shall  be  a  spoils 
and  all  who  prey  upon  thee,  will  Igivefcn^  a  pre?/."-— Yerse  16, 

Remember  this,  and  shew  yourselves  men  : 

Reflect  on  it  deeply,  0  ye  apostates  !— 

I  am  God  nor  is  there  any  thing  like  me. 

From  the  beginning,  making  known  the  end ; 

And  from  early  tiroes^  the  things  that  are  not  yet  done : 


-yC  A    STAR   IN   THE   AVEST. 

Saying  my  counsel  shall  stand. 

And  whatever  I  have  willed,  I  will  effect. 

Calling  from  tlic  east,  the  eagle, 

And  from  a  land  far  distant,  the  man  of  my  counsel : 

As  I  have  spoken,  so  will  I  bring  it  to  pass ; 

I  liave  formed  the  design,  and  I  will  execute  it. 

(Lowth's  Isaiah  xlvi.  8, 11. 

"  And  this  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the 
iiousc  of  Israel,  after  those  days  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my 
law  ill  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts,  and 
will  be  their  God  and  they  shall  be  my  people." — Vide  also 
xxxi.  1,  1-i.  Joel  also  is  very  express  on  this  subject.  <<  For 
behold,  says  he,  in  those  days,  and  in  that  time,  when  I 
shall  bring  again  the  captivity  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  /  w?7i 
also  gather  all  nations,  and  will  bring  them  down  into  the  val- 
ley of  Jehoshaphat,  and  will  plead  with  them  there,  for  my 
people  and  for  my  heritage  Israel,  whom  they  have  scattered 
among  the  nations,  and  parted  my  land. — Chap.  iii.  1, 2. 

From  all  this  it  appears,  with  the  greatest  certaintj^,  that 
in  the  latter  day,  the  house  of  Israel  shall  be  discovered,  and 
brought  from  the  land  of  their  captivity  afar  off,  to  the  city  of 
God,  the  new  Jerusalem,  that  sliall  be  restored  to  more  than 
its  former  glory.  And  that  all  those  who  have  oppressed  and 
despised  them,  wherever  they  are,  wiil  become  subjects  of  the 
anger  and  fury  of  Jehovah  their  C»od. 

If  then  it  is  plain,  that  the  Israelites  have  heretofore  suffer- 
ed the  just  indignation  of  the  Almighty,  for  their  sins  and  all 
histhreatnings  and  fury  have  literally  and  most  exactly  been 
poured  out  upon  tiiem,  according  to  the  predictions  of  his  ser-- 
vant  Moses,  what  have  not  their  enemies  and  oppressors  to 


A    STAR   IN    THE    WESl-.  S^f 

fear,  in  the  great  day  of  God's  anger,  when  he  cometh  to 
avenge  his  people,  who  have  been  dear  to  him  as  the  apple  of 
his  eye  ?  Js  not  the  honor  of  God  as  much  concerned  in  exe- 
cuting his  thrcatnings  on  one  as  the  otlier  ?  Will  it  not  be  w  ise 
then  to  consider  our  ways  betimes,  and  sincerely  to  repent  of 
all  improper  conduct  of  oppression  and  destruction  to  any,  wlio 
may  turn  out  to  have  been  the  continual  objects  of  God's  re- 
gard, though  suffering  under  his  just  displeasure.  If  his  word 
has  been  yea  and  amen,  in  punishing  the  people  of  his  choice, 
because  of  their  disobedience,  what  hope  can  those  gentiles 
have,  who  are  found  to  continue  in  opposition  to  his  positive 
commandments. 

Let  all,  then,  carefully  attend  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  a^ 
spoken  by  his  pi-ophets,  and  watch  the  signs  of  the  timesj 
seeking  to  know  the  w  ill  of  God,  and  what  he  expects  from 
those  who  are  awakened  to  see  their  erix)r.  Much  is  to  be 
done  when  the  signal  is  set  up  for  the  nations ;  and  these 
children  of  God's  watchful  providence,  shall  be  manifestly  dis- 
covered. They  are  to  be  converted  to  the  faith  of  Chi'ist, 
and  instructed  in  their  glorious  prerogatives,  and  prepared 
and  assisted  to  return  to  their  own  land  and  their  ancient  city, 
even  the  city  of  Zion,  which  shall  become  a  praise  in  all  the 
earth.  Let  not  our  unbelief,  or  other  irreligious  conduct,  with 
a  want  of  a  lively,  active  faith  in  our  Almighty  Redeemer, 
become  a  stumbling  block  to  these  outcasts  of  Israel,  wherever 
they  may  be.  They  will  naturally  look  to  the  practice  and 
example  of  those  calling  themselves  christians  for  encourage- 
ment. Who  knows  but  God  has  raised  up  these  United  States 
in  these  latter  days,  for  the  very  purpose  of  accomplishing 
his  will  in  bringing  his  beloved  people  to  their  own  Iand« 


298  A    STAR   IN   THE    WEST. 

Wc  are  a  maritime  jicoplc — a  nation  of  seafaring  men. 
Our  trade  and  commerce  have  greatly  encreased  for  years 
past,  except  during  our  late  troubles.     We  may,  under  God, 
be  called  to  act  a  great  part  in  this  wonderful  and  interesting 
drama.     And  if  not  alone,  wc  may  certainly  assist  in  a  union 
with  other  maritin^  powers  of  Europe.   The  people  of  Great- 
Britain  are  almost  miraculously  active  in  disseminating  the 
gospel  throughout  the  known  world.     The  same  spirit  will 
carry  them  to  accomplish  the  whole  will  of  God.     The  time 
is  hastening  on,  and  if  we  have  any  understanding  in  the  pro- 
phetic declarations  of  the  Bible,  it  cannot  be  far  off.     <^  And  I 
said,  how  long,  0  Jehovah !  and  he  said,  until  cities  be  laid 
waste,  so  that  there  be  no  inhabitant  and  houses,  so  that  there 
be  no  man ;  and  the  land  be  left  utterly  desolate,  until  Jeho- 
vah remove  man  far  away,  and  there  be  many  a  deserted  wo- 
man in  the  midst  of  the  land.     And  though  there  be  a  tenth 
part  remaining  in  it,  even  this  shall  undergo  a  repeated  de- 
struction.  Yet  as  the  ilex  and  the  oak,  though  cut  down,  hath 
its  stock  remaining,  a  holy  seed  shall  be  the  stock  of  the 
nation.'^ 

Have  not  these  wonderful  things  come  to  pass,  and  there- 
fore have  we  not  reason  to  believe  the  time  of  the  end  is  near 
at  hand.  When  Tiglah  Pilnezer  carried  away  the  tribes  from 
Samaria,  he  left  about  a  tenth  part  of  the  common  people  be- 
hind, Salman azer,  his  successor,  some  few  years  after,  less 
than  twenty,  came  and  carried  the  rest  into  captivity,  except 
a  few  stragglers  about  the  country,  and  those  who  had  taken 
refuge  in  Jerusalem.  Even  this  small  remnant  were  after- 
Wards  taken  by  Esarrhaddon  and  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  car- 
ried to  Babylon,  and  the  whole  land  left  desolate,  in  strict 


A    STAR    IN    THE    AVEST.  29.9 

fulfilment  of  tlic  divine  word.    And  even  yet  a  holy  seed  sball 
still  appear  to  become  the  stock  of  the  nation. 

What,  then,  is  the  use  that  christians  ought  to  make  of  a 
discovery  of  this  nature,  should  they  be  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  proposition  ?    First,  To  adore  with  humble  reverence, 
the  inscrutable  riches  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  his  infinite 
wisdom  in  his  conduct  towards  his  servants,  Abraliam,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  and  their  posterity.     Secondly,  To  rejoice  in  the 
absolute  certainty  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  as  well  as 
the  threatnings  of  his  holy  word — "  For  though  heaven  and 
earth  may  pass  away,  yet  not  a  tittle  of  his  word  shall  pass 
away,  but  all  shall  be  fulfilled.*'    Thirdly,  To  enjoy  the  pres- 
ent benefit  of  the  glorious  hope  set  before  them,  even  in  the 
view  of  immediate  death,  knowing  tliat  when  Christ  shall 
come  the  second  time,  "  in  his  own  glory,  and  tlie  glory  of 
the  Father,  his  saints  shall  come  with  him.'' — Coloss.  iii.  4'. 
*^  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so, 
them  also  who  sleep  in  Jesus,  will  God  bring  with  him ;  for 
the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  lieaven  with  a  shout,  with 
the  voice  of  an  arch-angel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God  ;  and 
then  shall  christians  be  forever  with  the  Lord.'' — 1  Thess.  iv. 
14 — 17.    Fourthly,  This  makes  the  grave  the  christian's  priv- 
ilege and  consolation.     As  the  scriptures  positively  declare, 
that  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inlierit  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
this  would  have  greatly  weakened  their  faith  and  hope,  had 
they  not  been  assured,  that  they  would  leave  tlieir  flesh  and 
l)lood  in  the  grave,  and  rise  immortal  and  incorruptible  through 
the  power  of  the  Redeemer,  who  had  previously  sanctified  the 
grave  by  his  own  prescnoe. 


SOO  A    STAR   IN    THE    WEST. 

But  after  all,  suppose  we  should  be  wholly  mistaken  in  all 
our  conjectures,  and  should  treat  these  aborigines  of  this  land 
with  great  kindness  and  compassion,  under  the  mistaken  opin- 
ion of  their  descent  ?  Would  any  people  have  reason  to  repent 
acts  of  humanity  and  mercy  to  these  wretched  outcasts  of  so- 
ciety ?  Have  not  Europeans  been  the  original  cause  of  their 
sufferings  ?  Are  we  not  in  possession  of  their  lands  ?  Have 
we  not  been  enriched  by  their  labours  ?  Have  they  not  fought 
our  battles,  and  spilt  their  blood  for  us,  as  well  as  against  us  ? 
If  we  speak  as  an  European  nation,  has  not  a  large  propor- 
tion of  their  numbers  perished  in  our  wars,  and  by  our  means  ? 
Ought  not  we,  tlien,  now,  at  this  day  of  light  and  knowledge, 
to  think  much  of  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  mercy  and  the 
bowels  of  compassion  in  their  behalf?  But  if  it  sliould  turn 
out,  that  our  conjectures  are  well  founded,  what  aggravated 
destruction  may  we  not  avoid,  by  an  obedient  and  holy  tem- 
per, and  exerting  ourselves  to  keep  the  commands  of  the  stat- 
utes of  the  God  of  Israel  ?  "  Behold,  at  that  time,  I  will  und 
all  who  afflict  thee  :  and  I  will  save  her  who  halteth,  a.d 
gather  her  who  is  driven  out.  And  I  will  get  them  fame  and 
praise  in  every  land,  where  they  have  been  put  to  shame.  At 
that  time,  I  will  bring  you  again,  even  in  the  time  that  I  gather 
you,  for  I  will  make  you  a  name  and  a  praise  among  all  people 
of  the  eartli,  when  I  turn  back  your  captivity  before  your  eyes, 
saith  the  Lord." — Zeph.  iii.  19 — 20. 

We  are  very  apt,  and  indeed  it  is  a  common  practice,  to 
blame  the  Jews,  and  charge  them  with  great  perverseness, 
and  call  them  an  obstinate  and  stiff-necked  race,  when  we  read 
of  the  grace  and  mercy  of  Jehovali  towards  them,  in  the  mul- 
tiplied blessings  promised  on  their  obedience,  and  the  awful 


A    STAR    IN    THE    WEST.  301 

curses  and  severe  threatnings  in  case  of  disobedience.  We 
profess  to  be  astonished  at  the  hardness  of  their  hearts  and 
abominable  wickedness  of  their  conduct,  committed  in  direct 
opposition  to  so  much  light  and  knowledge.  Yet  would  not 
any  impartial  person,  under  a  just  view  of  our  conduct  to 
them  since  the  discovery  of  this  country,  and  the  practices  of 
a  large  majority  of  those  who  call  themselves  christians,  draw 
a  pretty  certain  conclusion  that  we  had  not  much  to  insist  on, 
in  our  favour — That  most  certainly  we  have  not  done  to  them, 
as  we  should  have  expected  from  them,  under  a  change  of  cir- 
cumstances. We  go  on,  under  similar  threatnings  of  the  same 
Almighty  Being.  We  shew  much  the  same  hardness  of  heart, 
under  the  like  denunciations  of  vengeance,  that  he  will  afflict 
and  destroy,  without  mercy,  those  nations  who  join  in  oppres- 
sing his  people,  without  regard  to  his  honour  and  glory.  He 
will  be  found  no  respecter  of  persons  ;  but  will  fulfil,  not  only 
his  promised  blessings,  but  will  with  equal  certainty  inflict  all 
his  threatened  curses  on  obstinate  offenders.  "  Who  is  wise, 
and  he  shall  understand  these  things  ?  Prudent,  and  he  shall 
know  them  ?  For  all  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  right,  and  the 
just  shall  walk  in  them ;  but  the  transgressors  shall  fall  therein." 
— Hosea  xiv.  9.  "  And  the  Lord  answeied  me  and  said, 
WTite  the  vision  and  make  it  plain  upon  a  table,  that  he  may 
run  who  readeth  it — For  the  vision  is  yet  for  an  appointed  time, 
but  at  the  end  it  shall  speak  and  not  lie ;  though  it  tarry,  wait 
for  it,  because  it  will  surely  come — It  will  not  tarry." — H^b- 
akkuk  ii.  2 — 3. 


APPENDIX. 


Historical  Sketches  of  Louisiana, 

THE  famous  Ferdinand  de  Soto  was  sent  by  the  Spaniards 
to  succeed  Narvaez,  as  governor  of  Florida.  "  He  attacked 
the  natives  eveiy  where,  and  every  where  committed  great 
slaughter ;  destroyed  their  towns,  and  subsisted  his  men  on 
the  provisions  found  in  them.  He  cross«l  the  Missisippi, 
explored  the  regions  to  the  west  of  it,  and  in  1542  ended  his 
days  on  Red  River." — Page  8. 

In  1562,  the  French  growing  jealous  of  the  succcess  of  the 
Spaniards,  admiral  Coligni  fitted  out  a  fleet,  with  a  colony  of 
French  pratestants,  under  Rebaud.  They  landed  in  Florida, 
and  planted  the  settlers  about  thirty  miles  from  St.  Augustine, 
where  they  erected  a  fort  for  their  protection,  and  called  it 
Fort  Charles,  in  honour  of  Charles  the  Uh.  Astonishment 
seized  the  Spaniards  at  this  unexpected  intrusion.  However, 
the  Spanish  governor  Menandez,  after  recovering  from  the 
first  shock,  assembled  his  forces,  attacked  Fort  Charles,  and 
carried  it  by  storm.  Those  miserable  French  who  escaped 
the  sword,  were  doomed  to  the  halter,  with  this  label  on  their 
breasts  :  "  Not  as  Frenchmen,  but  as  heretics." — Page  5. 

Of  all  the  Indians  known  to  the  French,  the  Natchez  were 
the  most  serviceable,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  terrible. 


304  APPENDIX. 

Settlers  at  various  times  planted  themselves  among  them,  so 
as  to  become  a  large  body.  They  were  favourably  received 
by  the  Natchez,  who  supplied  them  with  provisions,  assisted 
them  in  their  tillage,  and  in  building  their  houses,  and  indeed 
saved  them  from  famine  and  death.  They  soon  began  to  en- 
croach on  the  rights  of  the  Indians,  and  excited  their  jealousy. 
The  Natchez  possessed  the  strongest  disposition  to  oblige,  and 
would  have  continued  eminently  useful  to  the  French  settlers, 
if  the  commandant  had  not  treated  them  with  indignity  and 
injustice. 

The  first  dispute  was  in  1723,  wlien  an  old  warrior  owed  a 
soldier  a  debt  in  corn.  Wlien  payment  was  demanded,  the 
warrior  alledged  that  the  corn  was  not  ripe,  but  it  should  be 
delivered  as  soon  as  possible.  They  quarreled,  when  the  sol- 
dier cried  murder.  When  the  warrior  left  him  to  go  to  his 
village,  a  soldier  of  the  guard  fired  at  him  and  shot  him.  The 
commandant  would  not  punish  tlie  offender.  Revenge,  the 
prominent  passion  of  the  Indians,  drove  them  to  arms.  They 
attacked  the  French  in  all  quartei's — but  by  the  influence  of 
a  noted  cliief,  peace  was  restored,  which  prevented  the  utter 
extermination  of  the  settlers.  Peace  was  made  and  duly  rat- 
ified by  Mons.  Branville  ;  yet  he  took  advantage  of  it  to  inflict 
a  sudden  and  dreadful  blow  on  these  innocent  people.  He 
privately  brought  seven  hundred  men. — he  attacked  the  de- 
fenceless Indians — slaughtered  them  in  their  huts,  and  de- 
manded the  head  of  their  chief;  witli  which  they  were  obliged 
to  comply.  This  wanton  slaughter  lasted  four  days.  A  peace 
was  then  made,  but  confidence  was  destroyed.  Shortly  after, 
a  French  officer  accidentally  met  a  sachem,  called  the  Sting- 
serpent,  who  appeared  to  avoid  him.      Tlie  officer  said,  why 


API»ENDI3t.  ^09 

do  you  avoid  me,  we  were  once  friends  ;  are  we  so  no  longer  ? 
The  indignant  chief  replied — ^wliy  did  the  French  come  into 
our  country  ?  \Vc  did  not  go  to  seek  them.  They  asked  us  for 
land,  and  we  told  them  to  take  it  where  they  pleased ;  there 
was  enough  for  them  and  for  us.  The  same  sun  ought  to  en- 
lighten us  both,  and  we  ought  to  walk  together  as  friends  in 
the  isame  path.  We  promised  to  give  them  food—assist  them 
to  build  and  to  labour  in  the  fields.  We  have  done  so.  In 
1729,  the  commandant  of  the  fort  had  treated  them  so  ill,  that 
they  obtained  his  being  summoned  to  New-OrleanS  to  answer 
for  his  conduct.  This  gave  mucli  joy  to  the  Indians.  The 
officer  found  means  to  be  sent  back  reinstated  in  his  commands 
He  now  determined  to  indulge  his  malice  against  the  Indians; 
He  suddenly  resolved  to  build  a  town  on  the  sclte  of  a  village 
belonging  to  one  of  the  sachems,  which  covered  a  square  of 
three  miles  extent.  He  sent  for  the  sun  or  chief,  and  directed 
him  to  clear  the  huts  and  remove  to  some  other  place.  The 
chief  replied,  that  their  ancestors  had  lived  therfe  for  many 
ages,  and  that  it  Was  good  fot*  their  descendants  to  occupy  the 
same  ground.  This  dignified  language  served  only  to  exas- 
perate the  haughty  commandant.  He  declared,  that  unless 
the  village  was  abandoned  in  a  few  days,  the  inhabitants  of  it 
should  repent  their  obstinacy  !  The  Indians  finding  a  bloody 
conflict  was  inevitable,  they  laid  their  plans  accordingly. 
They  tried  by  the  best  excuses  in  their  power  to  delay  the 
execution  of  his  plan  ,*  but  he  treated  all  tlieir  proposals  with 
disdain,  and  menaced  immediate  destruction  if  he  was  not 
gratified.  The  Indians  ever  fruitful  iii  expedients,  got  per- 
mission to  wait  till  their  harvest  was  got  in.  During  this 
interval^  short  as  it  was,  they  formed  their  plan.     They  held 


3ea  APPENDix. 

a  council,  and  unanimously  resolved  to  make  one  great  effort 
to  defend  the  tombs  of  their  fathers.  They  proceeded  with 
caution^  yet  one  of  their  women  betrayed  them.  The  comman- 
tiant  would  not  liearken  to  it,  but  punished  the  informant.— 
Near  the  close  of  the  last  day  of  Nov.  1729,  the  Grand  Sun, 
with  some  warrioi^,  repaired  to  the  fort  with  their  tribute  of 
corn  and  fowls  agi'eed  upon.  They  secured  the  gate  and  other 
passages,  and  instantly  deprived  the  soldiers  of  the  means  of 
defence.  So  well  was  their  plan  laid,  that  all  opposition  was 
in  vain.  The  massacre  throughout  the  settlement,  among  the 
men,  was  general.  The  slaves,  and  some  of  the  women,  were 
spared.  The  chiefs  and  warriors,  disdaining  to  stain  their 
hands  with  the  blood  of  the  commander,  he  fell  by  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  meanest  of  the  Indians.  In  short,  the  w'hole  set- 
tlement, consisting  of  about  seven  hundred  men,  were  wholly 
destroyed.  They  proceeded  to  two  neighbouring  settlements, 
at  Yazous  and  Wastulu,  which  shared  the  same  fate ;  a  very 
few  escaped  to  carry  the  news  to  the  capital. — Pages  46 — 52. 
The  governor  of  New-Orleans,  persisting  in  destroying  this 
nation,  they  fled  over  the  Missisippi,  and  settled  one  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  up  the  Red  River,  where  they  built  a  fort  for 
their  protection.  After  some  time,  the  governor  pursued  them 
to  this  place  with  cannon,  &;c.  besieged  the  fort,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  surrender  at  discretion.  The  women  and 
children  were  reduced  to  slavery,  and  scattered  among  the 
plantations.  The  men  were  sent  to  St.  Domingo  as  slaves. 
Their  villages  at  first  consisted  of  twelve  hundred  souls.  Of 
all  the  Indians,  they  were  the  most  polished  and  civilized.— 
They  had  an  established  religion  among  them,  in  many  par- 
ticulars rational  and  consistent — as  likewise  regular  orders  of 


APPJJNDIX.  307 

priesthood.  They  had  a  temple  dedicated  to  tlie  great  spirit, 
in  which  they  preserved  the  eternal  fire.  No  doubt  these  to- 
kens  of  their  i-eligion  were  ever  obscured  and  perverted  by 
tradition — but  this  is  rather  the  misfortune  tlian  tlie  crime  of 
the  Indians.  This  remark  is  applicable  to  all  the  aborigines 
of  America.  Their  civil  polity  partook  of  the  refinement  of 
a  people  apparently  in  some  degree  learned  and  scientific. 
They  had  kings  or  chiefs — a  kind  of  subordinate  nobility — 
and  the  usual  distinctions  created  by  rank  were  well  under- 
stood and  preserved  among  them.  They  were  just,  generous 
and  humane,  and  never  failed  to  extend  relief  to  the  objects  of 
distress  and  misery.  They  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
properties  of  medicinal  plants,  and  the  cures  they  performed, 
particularly  among  the  French,  were  almost  incredible.  They 
were  remarkable  for  not  deeming  it  glorious  to  destroy  the 
human  species,  and  for  this  reason,  seldom  waged  any  other 
than  defensive  war. — Pages  53 — i. 

In  short,  the  history  of  the  European  wars  against  the  In- 
dians, and  particularly  the  Spanish,  for  more  than  two  centu- 
ries, afford  nothing  but  a  series  of  complicated  crimes,  the 
black  catalogue  of  which  will  continue  to  excite  in  every 
breast,  the  mingled  emotions  of  pity  and  indignation.  They 
made  war  on  defenceless  nations  without  provocation^ — ispilt 
oceans  of  blood  and  involved  millions  of  their  fellow  creatures 
in  misery.— ^They  trampled  on  all  those  laws  deemed  sacred 
by  the  civilized  world,  and  their  misdeeds  find  no  other  ex- 
cuse than  what  is  derived  from  the  gratification  of  their  ava- 
rice.—Page  58. 

They  not  only  enslaved  the  prisoners  taken  in  battle,  but 
Hkewise  those  peaceable  and  effeminate  people  who  submitted 


aOS  APPENDIX. 

themselves  at  discretion. — They  compelled  them  to  labour  in 
the  mines  of  Hispaniola  and  Cuba,  where  vast  numbers  perish- 
ed. The  natives  of  Hispaniola,  at  Columbus'  first  arrival, 
amounted  to  more  than  a  million  of  inhabitants — fifteen  years 
after  they  amounteil  to  less  than  sixty  thousand.  In  Cuba, 
upwards  of  five  hundred  thousand  perished— a  similar  destruc- 
tion took  place  on  the  continent. — Page  56. 

The  aborigines  in  general  are  extremely  scrupulous  in  re- 
gard to  the  fulfilment  of  national  compacts ;  though  in  their 
individual  capacities  they  are  less  honest  and  more  inclined  to 
evade  their  engagements.  Their  w  ant  of  faith  in  most  instan- 
ces, where  it  has  been  manifested  may  be  traced  either  to 
tlie  hard  conditions  imposed  on  them,  or  to  the  advantage  taken 
of  theii-  ignorance.  Whoever  will  attentively  examine  into 
the  merits  of  the  numerous  quarrels  between  them  and  the 
whites,  will  be  apt  to  find  that  the  latter  were  almost  uniform- 
ly the  aggressors.— Page  6i. 

A  remarkable  fact  with  respect  to  Florida.  While  it  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  English,  a  plan  was  concerted  by  Sir  Wil- 
liam Duncan  and  Dr.  Turnbull,  to  entice  a  colony  of  Greeks 
to  settle  in  this  country.  It  was  represented  to  them  in  the 
most  favourable  light.  They  were  promised  fertile  fields  and 
lands  in  abundance,  and  also  transportation  and  subsistence. 
Fifteen  hundred  engaged  in  this  undertaking — but  what  was 
their  surprise  when  tliey  were  ushered  in  to  New-Smyrna, 
about  seventy  miles  to  the  eastward  of  St.  Augustine,  which 
they  found  to  be  a  desolate  wilderness,  without  the  means  of 
support.  Instead  of  being  proprietors  of  land,  there  was  none 
for  them,  but  upon  lease  for  ten  years,  and  some  could  not 
obtain  it  on  any  terms.    Hence  they  became  labourers  to  the 


APPENDI3C  309 

planters  as  slaves,  and  suffered  hunger  ahd  nakedness.  Over- 
seers were  placed  over  them,  who  goaded  them  with  the  lash 
'—They  were  kept  together  and  numbers  were  crouded  to- 
gether in  one  mess — Tlie  poor  wretches  were  not  allowed  to 
procure  fish  for  themselves,  although  plenty  in  the  sea  at 
their  feet. — People  were  forbidden  to  furnish  them  with  vic- 
tuals. Severe  punishments  were  decreed  against  those  who 
gave  and  those  who  received  the  charitable  boon.  Under  this 
treatment  many  died,  especially  the  old  people.  At  length 
in  1769,  seized  with  despair,  they  rose  on  tlieir  cruel  tyrants 
and  made  themselves  some  small  vessels — But  they  were 
seized  by  the  military,  and  five  of  the  principal  suffered 
death.  This  could  scarcely  be  believed,  considering  tlie  re- 
puted humanity  of  the  English,  had  it  not  been  verified  by 
the  solemn  report  of  a  British  officer  who  was  an  eye  witness. 
r-Page  121. 


Frasefs  Key  to  the  Frophedes, 

Speaking  of  the  image  of  the  beast,  that  it  should  speak* 
&c.  &c.  says,  the  Pope  put  to  death  m  a  variety  of  forms,  such 
as  dared  to  oppose  him.  He  excluded  from  the  privileges  of 
civil  society  all  such  as  did  not  submit  to  his  claims  and  au- 
thority. See  the  decree  of  Alexander  3d,  in  the  Synod  of 
Tours — the  bull  of  Martin  against  the  errors  of  Wickliffe 
and  Huss,  annexed  to  the  council  of  Constamce.  Tlicre  it  is 
decreed  "  that  men  of  this  sort  be  not  permitted  to  have  houses 


SIO  APFEKDIX. 

to  rear  families,  to  make  contracts,  to  carr}'  on  traffick  or  busi- 
ness of  any  kind,  or  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of  humanity,  in 
common  with  the  faithful."  These  are  almost  the  words  which 
prophecy  has  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  image. 

See  the  bull  of  Paul  3d,  against  Henry  8th,  and  that  of 
Paul  5th,  in  the  eleventh  year  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

An  energetical  letter,  dated  London  19th  January,  1791, 
signed  by  three  vicars  apostolic  of  England,  expressly  prohibits 
the  Catholics  of  that  kingdom  to  take  an  oath  prescribed  by 
government,  though  that  oath  contains  nothing  inconsistent 
with  Catholic  principles,  but  a  renunciation  of  the  Pope's  su- 
premacy in  temporals.  They  express  themselves,  "The 
apostolical  vicars,  in  the  above  mentioned  energetical  letter, 
(dated  October  21, 1789)  declared,  that  none  of  the  faithful 
clergy  or  laity,  ought  to  take  any  new  oath  or  sign  any  new 
declaration  or  doctrinal  matters,  or  subscribe  any  new  instru- 
ment wherein  the  interests  of  religion  are  concerned,  without 
the  previous  approbation  of  their  respective  bishops,  and  they 
required  submission  to  those  determinations.  The  altered 
oath  has  not  been  approved  by  us,  and  therefore  cannot  be 
lawfully  or  conscientiously  taken  by  any  of  the  faithful  of  our 
districts."  Here  tlie  Iamb  like  beast  speaks  like  a  dragon — 
Ten  very  respectable  Catholics  in  England,  met  together  as 
a  committee,  and  protested  against  this  letter,  as  inculcating 
principles  hostile  to  the  government,  and  contrary  to  the  faith 
and  moral  character  of  the  Catholics. 

Our  adversaries  account  the  visibility  of  their  church  as 
a  community  from  the  apostolic  days,  a  demonstration  of  its 
being  the  true  cliurch,  while  they  ask  us  with  an  air  of  tri- 
umph, where  was  your  church  before  Luther  ?  (In  the  wil- 


APPENDIX.  311 

derness  where  it  yet  is.)  The  prophecy  furnishes  a  direct 
answer.  The  true  church  of  christ  ought  to  he  invisible  as  a 
community  for  a  period  of  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years, 
and  during  all  that  time  a  harlot,  pretending  to  he  the  sjmuse 
of  Christ,  and  ought  to  propagate  her  idolatries  successfully 
and  extensively,  throughout  the  world. 

The  divisions  among  protestants  have  been  urged  by  their 
adversaries  as  an  argument  against  them ;  and  the  ineffectual 
efforts  of  learned  and  pious  men  to  unite  them  into  one  com- 
munity, have  proved  stumbling  blocks  to  tlie  faith  of  some  of 
their  friends.  But  by  the  prophetic  representation,  matters 
ought  to  be  as  they  are.  Had  protestants  united  together  into 
one  society,  the  church  of  christ  would  have  b«en  visible  as  a 
community,  which  during  the  currency  of  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty  years  would  flatly  contradict  the  prophecy  ;  but  the  sev- 
eral protestant  churches,  having  no  connection  with  each 
other  in  government  and  ordinances  like  the  ancient  church, 
they  constitute  only  individual  members  of  the  universal 
church,  which  as  a  body  politic  is  invisible  now,  as  it  was 
in  the  tenth  century.  While  tiiis  view  sliould  reconcile  us  to 
a  certain  degree  of  separation  among  pi'otestants  during  the 
currency  of  the  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  it  ouglit  to 
remove  wholly  the  violence  of  party  spirit  and  every  degree 
of  bitterness  and  rancour  which  they  have  too  frequently 
shewed  to  each  other.  Aviolent  party  spirit  is  founded  on 
this  principle,  that  those  who  possess  it  are  the  true  church 
of  christ.— "Hence  they  argue  that  those  who  separate  from 
them  are  schismatics  or  heritics,  and  therefore  ought  to  be 
treated  as  heathens  and  publicans.  But  the  ground  of  their 
reasoning  is  false ;  according  to  the  prophecy  no  particular 


313  AP]?ENDIX. 

church  or  party,  now  on  earth,  may  claim  the  exclusive 
privileges  of  the  universal  church.  Whoever  does,  acts  the 
part  of  a  daughter,  usurping  the  place  of  the  mother,  and 
requiring  that  subjection  of  her  sisters  which  the  law  of  God 
does  not  requirCi— Pages  13i< — 5 — 162. 


FINIS. 


